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toournextadventure · 1 year

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everyone but her pt.21

Summary: You get a hit with a bit of reality and go back to apologise to Wednesday. But it might be too late, and now everything is catching back up with you. And this time, you don't have Nicky to keep you out of trouble.

Word Count: 7.5k Warnings: swearing, stages of grief, implications of self-destructive behaviours, flashbacks Pairing: Wednesday Addams x Reader (everyone but her Masterlist) Taglist: @extinctspino @basichextechml @cfvgbhndun-new-blog @jinxscatbomb @awolfcsworld @suzhiman @gengen64 @eclipsesmoonshine14 @alexkolax @thenextdawn @cacciatricediartemide @cozwaenot @the-night-owl-blr @natashasapphic @parkersmyth @alilbitlesbian @irish-piece-of-trash @rainbow-love4ever @audigay @bakugounuggets @myfturn @rockwyn @bigbadsofty07 @andsoigotabutterfly @captainbeat @smromanoff

You felt the sticks snap under your feet as you landed haphazardly, quickly leaning against a tree so you could dry heave. Again. It was becoming something of a routine from the past five or so hours. After stopping at the house to get your things and say goodbye to Mabel and Jenkins - who promptly gave you hugs and cheek kisses. It made your stomach turn and you wanted to scream at them to please stop, it’s all my fault - before flying off.

In the grand scheme of things, you were only able to fly for about 20 minutes at a time before having to land. At first you panicked when your stomach turned, and it hurt because you hadn’t eaten and you were already exhausted. But then after another 20 minutes or so of shaky flying, you had to land and heave again. And so the vicious cycle continued.

Your skin was sticky with sweat by the time you walked through the gate at home. There was a shakiness to your legs that, for the life of you, you couldn’t get rid of. It was humiliating and you felt weak. Weak because you had just ruined everything and now you were running away? Running back home to Momma and Pop? What, were you going to tuck your tail between your legs next?

“Y/N!”

The push against your stomach was stronger than it should have been. You stumbled back, your arms windmilling in an attempt to keep you on your feet. Your duffel bag hit the dirt with a *thud* and you managed to get your feet back underneath you just enough to see your faux attacker.

And it broke your heart.

“You promised,” Hailey shouted. Not her usual yelling or griping. She shouted. With tear stained cheeks and red eyes.

“Hail-”

“-you promised he would wake up!” She continued, stepping closer. Her claws were out.

“I didn’t-”

“-and you didn’t even tell us!” She pushed against your stomach again; your feet were better planted this time. “We had to find out from Auntie Rissa!”

“Hailey!” Alex was running across the yard, the other kids fast on his tail. “Stop!”

“You promised,” Hailey cried. She swiped with her claws once. You jumped back but still felt the slightest sting on your left hip. “You promised and you let him die!”

Oh. Oh.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Alex huffed as he did his best to get in between you and Hailey. His sunglasses were riding low on his nose, but he quickly pushed them back up. “You know better.”

“Your best friend came home,” Hailey shouted at Alex. They were starting to square off. Oh no. “Mine didn’t.” She was crying. “It’s not fair.”

“Hey-”

“-Why should she get to come home when Nicky can’t?-”

“-You know it’s not that simple-”

“-Why does she get to be happy when he can’t even breathe?-”

“-Don’t be such a bitch-”

“-Enough!”

You stepped in between the both of them, your arms outstretched on either side to push them further apart. It was impeccable timing, really. You managed to step in between them right as Hailey swiped again and Alex threw a punch. The claws swiped across your forearm, and Alex tried to curb his hit but still managed to catch you in the shoulder.

You felt sick.

Everyone else had finally gotten closer, now just watching the scene unfold before them. You looked up into Pop’s eyes, trying your best to convey everything you were feeling. Scared, sick, angry, frustrated, numb. Everything and nothing all at once. You wanted to cry, and throw up, and scream, and hurt.

“It’s your fault,” Hailey said around a sob that she no longer bothered hiding. “It should have been you-”

“-Hailey,” Momma chastised immediately, but Hailey was already running off into the woods around the barn. A pained howl quickly followed.

“Come on, Nicky,” Hailey begged, “you promised to sing karaoke with me.”

“It’s 3am, Hails,” Nicky chuckled. Your eyes slowly opened to see them snuggling on the couch in the basement.

You couldn’t say much; you were cuddling with Alex on the other couch.

“Then at least sneak some ice cream with me?” Hailey asked again. She was using her puppy dog pout. Smart move, it always worked on Nicky.

“Fine,” he sighed, but he was still smiling. “But only because we’re best friends.”

“You love me most,” she said as she pulled him up from the couch.

“I suppose I do,” he laughed again.

“I didn’t mean to hit you,” Alex said, his own voice sounding watery. “It was an accident.”

You felt sick.

“I’ll go get Hailey-”

“-Let her run it off,” Pop interrupted Momma softly, his eyes never leaving yours. “Alex, grab her bag.” He looked around at everyone else, including the nearly-crying kids. “Everyone else git back inside.”

A chorus of “yes Pops” filled the suffocatingly silent air. Your arms slowly fell back to your side as everyone moved, leaving the area as quickly as possible. No one wanted to stay; you didn’t blame them. You didn’t want to stay either. You didn’t want to be anywhere.

“You gonna hurl?” Pop asked as he stepped closer to you, his hand patting your shoulder a little rougher than necessary. “You’re lookin’ a little green.”

“‘m fine,” you said.

“Don’t hurl on my boots,” Pop warned.

As if on cue, you turned just in time to double over. Nothing came up; there was nothing to come up. But it still took you a few minutes of dry heaving and Pop patting your back harshly before you could stand back up on shaky legs. You just used the back of your hand to wipe the spit off your chin.

“Come inside,” Pop said softly. You don’t deserve soft. “You need food and some sleep.”

“‘m not hungry-”

“-I don’t give a damn if you’re hungry or not,” Pop interrupted. “You’re walkin’ like a newborn foal.”

“I can’t- I- I can’t eat,” you whispered. You couldn’t look into his eyes; couldn’t bear to see the pity. “I can’t.”

The stammer was embarrassing enough on its own, but the way Pop’s grip on your shoulder softened made your stomach turn and a lump form in your throat. Don’t touch me. But he did, and he was so incredibly soft, and you wanted to scream.

“Come on, baby bird,” he said softly as he pulled you into his side and started guiding you to the house. “Let’s get you home.”

You ate what Abuelita put in front of you. If anyone had asked what it was, you couldn’t have told them, but you ate it. Ate until you felt your stomach turn, then excused yourself and went straight to the bathroom. The food didn’t stay in your stomach, but at least you ate.

Momma let you sleep in her room for the night; no one would bother you in there. And you laid there on the bed and the pillows smelled like home and you didn’t sleep. Every time you closed your eyes, all you could see was Nicky. Or your father’s bloody face, eyes staring up at you in absolute fear.

You wanted him to fear you. But you didn’t. All you wanted was for him to hold you and say he was sorry and that he loved you. You wanted both of them to say they loved you and they were proud of you. Not that they were scared of you, or they hated you, or they blamed you for everything.

You just wanted them to want you.

Turn it off, that voice in your head said again. It sounded a little different, but still familiar. You didn’t want to turn everything off, you wanted to feel. But the words themselves buried the anger and sadness under layer after layer of numbness. Buried it until you felt nothing, and nothing went through your head except unbearable silence.

You couldn’t help it.

It was early in the morning by the time you stumbled out of Momma’s and Pop’s room. Everyone was still asleep, thankfully, and you didn’t want to be there when they woke up. You had heard Hailey come home last night and you just couldn’t be there when she got up.

It should have been you.

You left the house without any warning. The fall air was cool and the trees were a beautiful orange and yellow and red and it made you sick. Fall was Nicky’s favourite time of year, and it was so perfect out, and he couldn’t even enjoy it. A stinging sensation settled in the back of your eyes and a lump lodged itself in your throat as you started running.

It left you shaky and the cold air stung your lungs, but you still ran. Down the dirt road, into the woods and up the small hill that led to the creek. The babbling brook would normally be soothing, easing you into a calm that could only come from the outside. But today, all it did was make you angry. Angry because your feet had carried you here when you didn’t want to be here.

You couldn’t bear to be in Nicky’s favourite place.

A scream wanted to tear its way up your throat, but you wouldn’t let it. You didn’t, because if you kept it in then you could suffer a little bit too. It would continue to rage and tear you apart from the inside out. If you were lucky, maybe it would do more than that and you could prove how sorry you were.

Your eyes stung when you finally collapsed near the riverbank. The ground was cold and muddy but truthfully? You couldn’t give a damn. You were still in those fucking suit pants and dressy undershirt, and you didn’t give a damn that they were soaking through with freezing water.

The frogs and birds kept you company. Croaking by your leg while the brook continued to flow steadily in front of you. Your wings weighed heavy on your back, forcing you to hunch your shoulders in an attempt to ease the weight. It didn’t. The muscles in your back ached and it was good. Pain was good.

“It’s too quiet,” you huffed as you threw another rock into the river. The *splunk* was pretty satisfying.

“That’s the point,” Nicky said. He was laying on the riverbank with hands behind his head. His eyes were closed and his face was illuminated by the sun shining through the leaves above.

“You like listening to nature?” You asked; your fingers were digging through the mud for another rock.

“It’s relaxing,” He said with a smile. “Maybe you'll learn some patience.”

“Hey, Y/N.”

You didn’t look up but felt the body sit beside you, her arm brushing against yours only briefly. It sent a shiver down your spine and your eyes fell shut for a moment. Only for a moment. When they opened again, you looked back out at the river. It was too quiet.

You felt numb.

“Hailey told me you were out here,” Ash whispered. Please shut up. “She wanted me to check on you.” Of course she did.

"Go away, Ash," you said just as quietly.

"All due respect, sweetheart, I'm stayin," she answered. "I know you, and the last thing you need is to be alone."

"Who taught you to talk like that?" You asked. "You never used to care this much." It was a low blow and you knew it. Your eyes travelled down to the mud by your freezing legs. Without hesitation, your fingers dug in, searching blindly for something to grab.

"I grew up a little," Ash said with a light chuckle.

You hummed in response. It wasn't like you were really in the mood to talk to her anyway, and she probably knew it. Something hard stopped your digging and you slowly excavated it, lifting your hand to show off a rock. Simple, grey, jagged. You halfheartedly tossed it into the water and got to digging again.

"How's that girl from your school?" Ash asked after a few minutes of silence. "The one you brought home a few months ago."

"Small talk isn't necessary," you said quickly. "It's not even wanted-"

"-You can't push me away this time, Johnson," she cut in. "It worked before but it won't work now." You found another rock.

“Or you could just go hang out with Johnny,” you grumbled when Ash sighed. “Clearly he’s better company.”

“He’s my best friend,” she shot back. “I can have friends, can’t I?”

“Yeah, sure,” you said with a shrug. You weren’t looking at her. “You can hang out with him while I sit here and worry about my brother who's still in a coma.”

“You’re such a dick,” Ash said quickly. “You know that’s now what I mean.”

“Just leave.”

“Gladly.”

“So how is she?”

“I don’t know.” You threw the rock into the river. “Think I fucked it up already.”

“You tend to do that,” she said with a soft chuckle. Your fingers were already in the mud. “Wanna talk about it?”

No, you thought. But yes. The look of absolute pain on Wednesday’s face when you had turned away after she had confessed. Fuck, she had confessed. She had done it and you hadn’t even had the good sense to say anything positive. You were more than aware of how difficult it was for her to express emotions, but after this? You’d be lucky if she even looked at you again.

“She told me she loved me yesterday,” you said softly, your eyes travelling down to the mud. Still no rocks.

“At a funeral?” Ash scoffed.

“Her parents confessed at a funeral,” you said simply with a shrug. There was a beat of silence.

“She looks like her parents confessed at a funeral,” she finally said in a hushed voice, almost like she was experiencing a new revelation.

It almost made you laugh.

“Shut up,” you chuckled as you lightly elbowed her in the side.

“Did you say it back?”

Silence.

“Y/N,” Ash scolded. You stopped digging for rocks just long enough to look at her out of the corner of your eye. “You said it back, right?”

“I was a little distracted-”

“-You’re such a dick.” She elbowed you back; far harder than you had done to her. “That was probably peak romance for her.”

“I’m sorry I was mourning my brother, Ashley,” you taunted back. “A love confession wasn’t necessarily on my list of things to expect for the day.”

“Why the fuck are you still here?” Ash asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Go back and apologise!” She shouted. The birds stopped chirping for a few seconds before resuming their relaxing songs. “And return the love, for fuck sake.”

“Why do you even care?” You asked. The search for rocks to throw was long forgotten.

“Because I saw your face when she kissed your cheek,” Ash sighed. “And I know she was simply markin’ her territory, but you looked happy.” Her eyes met yours; they were soft. Reminiscent of all those years ago. “I don’t think you were ever that happy with me.”

“We were kids,” you said, turning to look back out at the brook. You couldn’t handle her stare anymore. “Not sure we could have-”

“-Will you shut the hell up?” She interrupted. “Fuck, Y/N, that girl can keep you.” A huff left her lips.

“You’re doing a wonderful job at comforting me,” you grumbled.

“Go tell her,” Ash said again in a tone that left no room for argument. “Because if she doesn’t take you back then we’ll be stuck with you.” She was trying not to smile.

“You’re a bitch.”

“And you’re a dick.” Her smile turned softer, less taunting. “But you’re a dick who deserves a little bit of happiness after this clusterfuck.”

“Thanks, Ash,” you whispered.

“Just make sure you change first,” she said, her tone sounding more judgmental. “You smell like a pig.” Her eyes went down to the mud on your pants. “Look like one too.”

“Get the hell away from me,” you grumbled as you pushed her away. “Ha!” You laughed when she got her own shirt covered in mud.

“God, I hate you,” Ash grumbled. “Messin’ up my good shirt.”

Silence fell over the both of you and you looked back out over the babbling brook that no longer seemed quite as inviting. Now it was just a brook, and the frogs were just frogs, and the birds were just enjoying their day.

For just a moment, the anger had dissipated and you could sit there. Nicky was still on your mind, and your father was still on your mind, and Wednesday was still on your mind, and everything was still slowly falling apart. But for a moment, you could sit there.

Ash was right. You needed to go back and talk with Wednesday. She would understand, right? If she would just listen and let you explain and hopefully let you say those three words back to her, it would be okay. It would be okay, right? Your pulse started to race in your ears again.

You felt numb.

—---

Getting back to Nevermore had been easy enough. You had said your goodbyes to Ash (and promptly told her not to contact you again) before heading back to the house. A quick shower (which almost felt nice after nearly two weeks without it), a change of clothes, goodbyes to everyone except Hailey (who was still furious), and a quick flight home.

Well, it wasn’t a quick flight. But it was a flight.

“Thank heavens.”

You felt a body crash into you when you walked through the front doors of Nevermore Academy again. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around your shoulders and squeezed you tight. There was only a moment of hesitation before you dropped your duffel bag and returned the hug, leaning completely into Mama Weems. The familiar scent of lavender and tea invaded your senses and for a moment, your shoulders sagged as you exhaled slowly.

“Don’t you ever run off like that again,” she whispered into your ear. Her grip tightened ever so slightly. So did yours.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled back. There was a lump in your throat and a stinging in your eyes.

You felt numb.

It was the only warm welcome you got back at Nevermore.

Ajax and Kent had waved at you from across the courtyard before Divina and Enid pulled them away. The migraine came back, but you physically shook it away. They probably just wanted to give you some space, right? You weren’t exactly one to talk openly anyway, they were being polite.

But then Yoko practically refused to look at you. You had tried to approach her the next day, but she almost immediately turned in the other direction and walked into one of the classrooms. There was an undeniable skip in your heartbeat, but you ignored it. You had ignored her for two weeks and she had seen you lose your shit; she always hated it. It made sense that she was going to keep her distance. Right?

No one let Eugene get near you. Plain and simple as that.

And you hadn’t seen hide or hair of Wednesday even after three days of being back.

“Where is she?” You asked Bianca after cornering her before a class.

“I have physics,” she said.

“I need to talk to her,” you said again. “Everyone can ignore me again later, but I need to talk to her.”

“She’ll be practising her cello in her dorm tonight,” Bianca said with only a moment of thought. “Why do you need to talk to her?” She straightened up.

“I reacted poorly to something,” you said with a sigh. Bianca was going to be late to class; she didn’t seem to care. “And Ash said I-”

“-You talked with your ex before talking with your girlfriend?” Bianca interrupted. “Are you stupid?”

“Clearly,” you said as you threw your hands in the air. “That’s why I need to apologise.”

“Don’t tell her you talked to Ash,” she said with a pointed look. “Especially if you’re already in the doghouse.”

“Keep the trio away?” You asked.

Bianca didn’t answer, but nodded once after exhaling slowly.

“Thank you,” you mumbled, quickly stepping aside so she could get to class.

When you were finally standing in front of Wednesday’s door that evening, you felt numb.

Usually you would just walk in. After so long of being friends with Enid, and then with Wednesday, you had earned the privilege of coming in unannounced. But now? After the past few weeks and particularly after your reaction? Just the thought of walking in made your stomach churn. So you lifted your hand, knocked three times, and waited.

Wednesday was already in her everyday clothes when she opened the door. And yet, you couldn’t have found her more beautiful. You had missed her. If nothing else, you had just missed her company, her presence reminding you that on purpose someone chose to be with you. On purpose someone actually wanted you.

But then you saw the light bags under her eyes, and the downturn of her lips, and that murderous spark in her eyes. And you knew. You knew what was going on in her head, and you knew your heart wanted to jump out of your chest, and you knew your eyes stung. And you knew she was furious.

“Can we talk?” You asked quietly once you realised Wednesday wasn’t going to say anything.

“There’s nothing we need to talk about,” she said as she walked back out to the balcony.

“Yes there is,” you said. You shut the door behind you and followed after her like a lost puppy. Maybe you were. “I was a dick, and I’m so-”

“-I don’t require your apologies,” she interrupted you. “In fact, I would prefer you keep them to yourself.”

“No, it wasn’t right,” you said quickly. She still wasn’t even paying you any attention. “I didn’t say what I actually wanted to say.”

“I do not wish to hear what you wanted to say,” Wednesday said, and you froze. She was talking differently, like she had when you had first met. Why was she talking differently?

“What?” Maybe you heard her wrong.

“You made it clear you are either unable or unwilling to reciprocate,” she said, finally turning around to look at you. If you looked a little closer, you could see the slightest pink tint to her eyes.

“I’m- I’m not- I-” You couldn’t get the words out. You couldn’t get the fucking words out.

“Yoko has informed me of your unfortunate incidents around verbal affection.” She barely even let you open your mouth to answer. “To save us both some trouble, I have decided to return to our previous acquaintanceship so you may have the space you require.”

Oh.

If your heart could physically break, that’s exactly what it was doing. You could hear and feel each individual beat of your heart, each one hurting more than the last. It made you want to rip into your chest with your bare hands and pull it out, offering the broken muscle to Wednesday on a silver platter if that’s what it would take to make it stop hurting.

“Acq- a- a- acquaintanceship?” You asked, shaking your head. Trying to get the migraine to go away. “Wednesday that’s- that’s not- I don’t-”

“-I am in the middle of something,” Wednesday interrupted. “You may say what you wish to say, then leave me to my allotted practice time.”

She turned her back to you and sat down in her chair on the balcony. Her delicate fingers repositioned the cello and picked up the bow, and it was like you weren’t even there. Like you hadn’t just come by to say you were sorry, to say you loved her too. You were nothing more than an inconvenience to her schedule, just like old times.

And you couldn’t even blame her.

The music started to resonate through the open window, bouncing off the walls of the room. It echoed in your skull and picked apart the folds of your brain one by one, like it was slicing the excess chunks off until it could force itself into every available inch of space. Usually you loved to hear her play, loved to sit on the roof above her and just watch until she was finished; a watchful gargoyle against the inky black sky.

But now? No, now it was just intolerable. Unbearable, even.

She didn’t turn around when you dragged your leaden feet to the door. Didn’t check on you when you tripped over the air, your feet hitting the ground with a little extra force. And she certainly didn’t turn around when you did. Don’t let me leave, your heart begged her.

“I just…” Don’t say it, your mind told you. Please say it, your heart cried. “I love you too, Wednesday.”

The cello came to a screeching halt, only for a second before resuming again. Wednesday didn’t turn around; you knew she wouldn’t. And all those big feelings you had finally mentally agreed to start feeling grabbed the shovel and started digging until they were six feet under the numbness.

Not even anger stayed on the surface. Not this time.

With shaky, sweating hands you opened the door and stood face to face with Enid, Yoko, and Divina. A lump formed in the back of your throat as you looked at each of them briefly. You forced an unconvincing smile and gently pushed past them. The hair on the back of your neck stood up as they watched you leave, but you didn’t care.

What was there to even care about anymore?

You felt numb.

—---

There was a reason Wednesday had never let anyone too close. It was a distraction, a liability, and it was a gateway to feeling hurt. Nothing good ever came out of letting anyone close. After all, look what had happened with Nero? She had loved him, and all it had gotten her was suffering. And not the good kind.

That’s what you had done. You had hurt her, and she hated you for it. She knew your situation, she understood as best as she possibly could. But her childish feelings had led to you hurting her. She had dared to open up and feel something, and it had led to all this unbearable suffering. Maybe she had been right when she had told her mother she would never fall in love.

It was impossible not to see you around Nevermore, and that made everything so much harder. You were there in class, grading papers or cleaning up afterwards. You were there in the quad, walking with Weems with a straight back and wings hidden. You were there in Jericho, sitting on a bench with shaking hands and a cup of coffee that had gone cold.

She hated you for that too. For looking so pitiful all the time, like a stray dog begging for someone to give them attention. Yoko was still upset with you, she had made it very clear on numerous occasions. But Kent and Ajax had pulled you in again, always sitting with you or hanging out with you again. You almost smiled on those days.

You turned cold with everyone. The occasional nod of acknowledgment, or even a small wave was all anyone got out of you. Not that she had tried to get your attention, she had told you to leave. Had downgraded your relationship to nothing more than acquaintances on the best of days. But she didn’t think you would have actually listened to her and started practically ignoring her.

More than once, Wednesday found you in some sort of disarray once the work day was done. Sometimes you were dangerously high in Kent and Ajax’s room, not saying a word but eyes focused on the ceiling. One of the boys always tried to keep the door closed enough for you to be hidden when she came by, but she could still see you. It was pathetic, truly. At least she tried to convince herself it was.

Other times she found you wandering the grounds late at night. Never with your wings out and always near the lake. She could see you from her balcony; sometimes she would catch you while practicing cello, other times she was actively looking for you. You would stand out there and just look. More than once you toed your shoes off and dove into the freezing water, fully clothed. Wednesday would wait with bated breath until you finally resurfaced after far too long.

You would crawl back up onto the dock, gasping and sputtering as you laid on your back with your hands over your face. She didn’t have to assume what was on your mind during those nights.

But the worst part was a few weeks later, when everyone was finally starting to talk about the Rave’N once again. You had wormed your way back into sitting with the group during meals, talking with everyone as if nothing had happened. Well, everyone except her. There was still a certain lack of emotion to your words, and an underlying anger.

With the way you talked to her though, as if she was someone you had barely met before instead of someone you had harboured feelings for. That was what hurt. Yes, she had told you to simply be an acquaintance, but she hadn’t expected it to be this utterly painful. To have you so close, the heat from your body warming her own, but not being able to touch you.

Wednesday knew it was unfair. She knew she should have heard you out, listened to you, even accepted whatever apology you would have attempted to come up with. It had been clear you were sincere, and she knew you were suffering over your own things. There was no ground for her to be painting you as the villain in this whole situation.

But she had made her choice. Yoko had told her of your aversion to people loving you. How you felt it only led to the suffering of those who fell victim to it. Nicky, Hailey, Alex, your ex. Each had suffered in some way after admitting their affections aloud.

Wednesday supposed she now could sign her name on that list as well.

“Are you going with Dumb and Dumber?” Divina asked you. You stopped picking apart your sandwich for a moment to look up before resuming. “Or Bianca?”

“Nah.” You shook your head slowly. “I volunteered as a chaperone.”

“So someone can spike the punch,” Yoko said with a small smile. “Devious.”

“More like so I can get out of cleanup duty,” you answered quickly. “You going with anyone, Addams?”

You mean far too much to call me that, Wednesday’s black heart cried. Your eyes were far too gentle and there was too much left unsaid in your question. Why were you being so gentle? She wanted you to fight back. If you weren’t going to fight for her, then she wanted you to fight her.

“You could always take Xavier,” Enid teased.

“She’s a sadist, not a masochist, Sinclair,” you shot back. But Wednesday saw the slightest downturn of the corner of your lips before you turned to look at her again. “You could do better.”

I can, she thought. I had you. But she kept her mouth shut and looked back down at the half eaten apple sitting in front of her. You shouldn’t be giving her relationship advice, you should be the one with her. You pushed her away, her mind told her. She just scowled and kept her head down.

“What about the barista at the Weathervane?” Yoko asked. “That Galpin kid.”

“Barista?” You asked as your head shot up. Wednesday noticed Yoko was staring directly at you with furrowed brows, almost daring you to say something wrong. “What barista?”

“He’s been sweet on Wednesday for the past month or so,” Yoko continued. Stop it, Wednesday thought when she could practically see the gears turning in your head, trying to connect dots that weren’t there. You’ll make her give up. “Some normie kid.”

“Wait, Tyler?” You asked.

“The Sheriff’s son,” Yoko said with a nod. She almost looked confident; it wasn’t a good look for her.

“You know Tyler?” Divina asked. Was he another ex of yours? Clearly you had them and weren’t keen on sharing your past experiences.

Oh. That thought was far more vindictive than Wednesday had intended. What were you even doing to her?

“They fought a few times,” Yoko answered before you could. You were still staring at your sandwich, lost in thought. “Didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” you said quietly. “Sheriff Galpin knows me by name.”

“You should go with him,” Yoko said, finally turning to look at Wednesday. She was planning something. “I guess he’s cute. You two would be the talk of the dance.”

Wednesday turned to look at you from the corner of her eyes. She wanted you to say something. Argue, tell her it was stupid, fight her about it. But you didn’t. You didn’t even look at her, instead moving to pick apart the granola bar now that your sandwich was decimated.

Conversation ceased until everyone separated again.

Wednesday wasn’t convinced about asking Tyler to the Rave’N. Yes, he had been seeming far more interested in her over the past few weeks, and yes, he had given her free quads lately. Did she like him? He had done nothing of worth, so she felt absolutely nothing for him.

“Go ask him,” Ajax urged two evenings later while everyone was at the Weathervane.

You included. Currently you were on the other side of the cafe, sitting across the table from Bianca talking about who-knew-what. Neither one of you were smiling, but you rarely did when together. At least not when Wednesday was observing you both. You didn’t look upset; more neutral.

“She’ll see you ask him, get jealous, and then you’re in the clear,” Kent continued.

“Are you two high?” Enid asked cautiously.

“Not currently,” Ajax answered.

“Maybe that’s why you’re being so stupid,” Enid sighed.

“This ploy appears immature,” Wednesday said with a frown.

“If it works, does it matter?” Kent scoffed.

“Kent-”

“-Hear us out,” Ajax interrupted Enid. “I’ll comfort her about Nicky all day every day,” he started, “but that bitch needs tough love when it comes to relationships.”

“That sounds counterproductive,” Wednesday said.

“That’s why it works,” Ajax said with a smile and a nod. “If you think it’s ridiculous, then it works on her.”

“Oh my god,” Enid huffed. “Willa, just please ask Tyler to the Rave’N already so we can get back to normal.” She looked at Wednesday more seriously than ever before. “Thing and I want our cuddle buddy back.”

Wednesday looked over at you once again. You leaned back in your chair with your eyes on the coffee in front of you that was no longer steaming. You never finish it anymore, she thought with a slight frown. Was that her fault? Did you no longer drink coffee after she had given you space?

No. It couldn’t be her fault. She was never wrong.

Without a second glance in your direction, Wednesday stood up and walked to the counter with a purpose. Tyler was already there, cleaning something that, realistically, he had already cleaned. She noticed he had a habit of cleaning things when he was bored. Admirable, really.

“Need another quad?” Tyler asked with what Wednesday supposed everyone else would call a boyish smile.

“Do you have plans this Saturday evening?” She asked with a slight tilt of her head.

“Plans?” He asked, mirroring her. Clever. “Not yet.”

“Excellent,” she said. “Then you can accompany me to the Rave’N.”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” He asked, his smile turning into a smirk. “I won’t go unless I’m asked.”

Wednesday blinked once. The absolute audacity of this boy. Who did he think he was to demand to be asked? It almost stopped her right there, going back to the table because we tried, he’s not worth the effort, better luck next time. But Ajax and Kent swore it would work…

“Would you… go… to the Rave’N with me?” She asked with great struggle. The look in Tyler’s eyes indicated he enjoyed it.

“I would love to,” he said softly. “I’ll pick you up from your dorm at 7.”

She didn’t bother saying anything else to him. The whole situation was humiliating enough without adding even more conversation. When she turned around, she saw you; you were furious. If looks could kill, Tyler would have been eviscerated. Your bottom jaw readjusted a few times before you looked back down at your coffee.

Maybe this ridiculous plan would work after all.

The pointless dance came far sooner than Wednesday had been prepared for. She had been so busy watching you, revelling in your petty comments on Tyler and your sudden possessiveness that made occasional appearances. It hadn’t even occurred to her that the Rave’N was actually arriving, and you weren’t actually going with her.

For a moment she had forgotten about the current situation.

“You look beautiful,” Tyler said as he stood outside the now-opened dorm door.

“Let’s get going,” she said simply. “Thing, don’t wait up.”

Thing saluted and tucked back into the magazine he was reading. Wednesday took the corsage from Tyler and quickly walked away. The sooner this whole dance was over, the better. If Ajax and Kent’s stupid plan didn’t work, she was going to kill them. Slowly and painfully.

You were already at the dance by the time everyone arrived. Weems had greeted them, giving Wednesday a particularly unusual look, but you were inside. Not too far from the DJ, locked into what appeared to be a heated discussion with Eugene. The both of you were in white suits, and she wouldn’t deny you looked particularly stunning.

White was a wonderful colour on you.

Talk was cheap the entire night, not that she was paying attention. She was too distracted keeping an eye on you. On the way you were constantly walking around, fidgeting with your hands, tapping your foot far too offbeat to be usual. More often than not she would catch your eye; only for a moment, but that moment made her stomach twist into knots.

She had missed it.

“I’ll grab some punch,” Tyler said into her ear in an attempt to be heard over the music. She nodded once before he left.

Much to her excitement, you caught him at the table. That was the moment Wednesday realised Yoko was right; you two had history. It was evident in the frown on your face and the tight set of your jaw. In the way your lip lifted into a snarl at something he said. In the way you reached out and grabbed his arm when he tried to walk away.

She couldn’t hear what you were telling him, but she didn’t have to be smart to know it was about her. Not when the both of you turned your head simultaneously to look at her. She knew she should look at Tyler; he was her date for the night.

But she was looking at you. Only at you.

“I can see why you two aren’t together anymore,” Tyler said as he handed a cup to Wednesday once he got back to the group.

“Watch it, normie,” Bianca said. It wasn’t a threat. Yet. “You’re only a guest for the night.”

Everyone started conservative conversations, not about anything special. Now that everyone was on edge, no one deemed it appropriate to have fun. Wonderful, now they could feel almost as miserable as Wednesday did. Not that she was listening, of course, she was too busy staring at the cup sitting in front of her-

“-Wednesday.”

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, barely even touching her. She twisted in her seat in time to see you pull your hand back, holding the recently formed fist to your stomach. You were worrying your lip in that way she had become accustomed to, and your eyes were flitting between her and where Tyler was sitting.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

She nodded once and stood up from her seat without wasting a single breath to tell anyone where she was going. Everyone should have noticed anyway, if the grin on Yoko’s and Divina’s faces were anything to go by. Your knuckles brushed against her hand before you quickly pulled away again.

“Be careful around Tyler,” you said once you had pulled her to the far side of the room.

It was the place where you had both stayed during the Rave’N last year. Had you done that on purpose? Or was the small detail so important, so ingrained into your head that you had done it subconsciously? Would she have even preferred it one way or another?

“He’s a prick,” you continued with a snarl of your lip. You glanced up in the direction of the table before looking back down.

“I simply needed someone to accompany me,” Wednesday said quickly. Don’t tell her that.

“To give me space,” you said with a nod. She blinked once and nodded back. “I don’t need space.”

“Yoko said-”

“-Quit listening to what Yoko said,” you interrupted not unkindly. “Listen to what I’m saying.”

Wednesday met your eyes. She could hold eye contact indefinitely if the need arose, unless it was with you. For once, you didn’t look high and you had clear eyes again. How long had it been since you had last been sober? There was such a clarity and intensity in your gaze that it was almost like you were looking through her.

And she missed you. Having you so close, your face mere inches from hers once again. It was disgusting, and humiliating, but she missed you. Missed your proximity, your voice, the way you looked at her as if you would break her. Yet even then you never treated her as fragile; instead like she was invaluable, irreplaceable even.

“I’m listening,” she said softly, her eyes flitting down to look at your lips as you licked them once.

“I just-”

-Your eyes darted up for a second before you did a quick double take. You straightened your back and kept looking behind Wednesday. She turned her head, almost instantly finding what had caught your attention. Sheriff Galpin had walked into the room with three officers - clearly not from Jericho, if the gear was anything to go by - following after him.

You both watched as Sheriff Galpin walked directly to Tyler, talking and gesturing. She hoped he was only coming to talk to his son; that would be typical for the man who barely tolerated Outcasts to begin with. But then they both turned and looked in her direction, in your direction.

“Y/N,” Sheriff Galpin said with what Wednesday could only describe as a pained smile.

“I didn’t touch Tyler,” you said with a shake of your head.

“That’s not why I’m here, kid,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“What is going on here?” Weems asked as she came up to the group. She looked furious.

“Out of my jurisdiction,” Sheriff Galpin said with a halfhearted shrug.

“Turn around and put your hands behind your back.” One of the officers behind Sheriff Galpin told you.

“Fuck,” you mumbled, but did exactly as directed.

“You’re under arrest for battery domestic violence and two counts of homicide,” the first officer said as the other put the handcuffs around your wrists.

“I beg your pardon?” Weems asked. “Where are these charges coming from?”

“You have the right to remain silent.”

The music continued to blare in the room, and everyone continued dancing. But the only thing Wednesday could hear was a ringing in her ears. You turned your head to lock eyes with her, and it felt like her heart had stopped beating. There was a fear in your eyes, but also something else. Something that was emphasised by the sag in your shoulders and the way your head hung low.

Acceptance.

“Call my Pop,” you said. You hadn’t listened to anything the officer had told you. "Please."

She wanted to reach out to you, to say something to you. Tell you it would be alright, or that she would get you out. But she didn’t say anything. She didn’t even move as they escorted you out of the Rave’N. No, she just stood there with Weems and watched until you disappeared.

You had been arrested. You were being taken to a jail, clearly not in Jericho, and she didn’t know where you were going. She couldn’t keep you safe, she didn’t get to hear what you had to say. You would now be labelled a criminal.

Maybe she had a type.

#wednesday addams x reader #wednesday x reader #wednesday imagine #everyone but her au

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loveroftoomanyfandoms · 7 months

Text

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 8

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, idiots in love, love confessions (but not to each other 🫠)

Word Count: ~2650

A/N: Short little filler chapter here to move the plot along, but next up is the big "recipe testing" dinner!

Thanks as always to @theradioactivespidergwen for the divider!

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment

"So? How was it?" Skyler said as soon as she saw you in the staff break room the next morning.

You laughed and shook your head. "Can I at least make some coffee before you start interrogating me about my brunch?"

"Oh, I already took care of that." Skyler turned and handed you a to-go cup from your favorite coffee shop near the office. "I know how much you hate Monday morning staff meetings and figured I'd get something for you while I was getting my own coffee."

You took a sip and sighed blissfully. "You are an angel, you know that? I owe you one."

Skyler took a sip of her own beverage. "So spill, girl, spill! How was Chef Hottie's cake?"

You shook your head with a grin. "Ok well first off, it's Chef Matt , and secondly, his crepes were excellent once again, as was the omelet I ordered. You really should check the restaurant out for Sunday brunch at the very least, although I'm sure their dinner menu is amazing too."

Skyler took another sip of her coffee as you walked into the conference room together and sat. "How was the rest of your day? Hopefully you did something more exciting than watching a bunch of senior citizens play bingo."

You nodded, smiling to yourself as you thought about your afternoon and evening with Matt. "Actually, yeah. Matt invited me along on his after-work errands yesterday afternoon so I could observe him outside of the kitchen."

"Ooh, so you got to spend the whole afternoon with him? Lucky. So what did you two do together?"

"He volunteers to cook for the soup kitchen at Clinton Church on Sundays after the restaurant closes, so I helped him out with that, then I watched him work out at the gym for a bit, then he asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him."

Skyler's eyes grew wide. "He asked you out on a date ? Way to bury the lede!"

You shook your head. "No, not a date , he just invited me to have dinner with him at his apartment as a thank-you for helping him out at the church, that's all."

"You went to his apartment? "

You opened your mouth to tell her that it wasn't a big deal but was interrupted by Ellison walking into the conference room. "Okay, let's get this show on the road," he said. "First order of business: Kelsie, welcome back. Glad to see you're feeling better."

You glanced over at Kelsie, who was sulking at the other end of the table.

Ellison looked at his notes. "Okay, so assignment updates! Skyler, how was the fundraiser for the senior center?"

"Great," Skyler replied. "I sent you my article last night."

"Okay, good. Mark, what's going on in sports this week?"

Mark, who wrote the sports column, sat up in his chair. "I've got an interview with Coach Calhoun on Wednesday and Coach Dempsey on Thursday, so the article about the big rivalry between PS 114 and PS 118 will be ready to go for Friday's edition."

"Excellent." Ellison said your name. "How's the Restaurant Week feature coming?"

"It's coming along great," you replied. "Chef Murdock has been really open and cooperative, so it'll be no problem getting that article to you by EoD Wednesday."

Ellison nodded. "Fantastic. Okay, new assignments. Skyler, you're covering the music festival this weekend. They'll have a press pass for you at the gate. Kelsie, since we switched up the Restaurant Week feature you're now going to be handling the daily report on what each participating restaurant is featuring. Everyone else, you know your assignments. Let's get to it."

You stood and picked up your cup of coffee.

"Not enough to steal the Features position out from under me, was it?" you heard Kelsie say from behind you. "Now you're going after the lead story for Restaurant Week too."

You turned and raised an eyebrow. There had been a (one-sided, in your opinion) rivalry between you and Kelsie ever since you and she had both been up for the Features position six months earlier. "Oh damn, you caught me. I made sure that you would get food poisoning just so I could swoop in and steal the Restaurant Week feature when I know nothing about the culinary industry and had never met Chef Murdock until a few days ago after the article was assigned to me. And as for the Features position, I won that promotion fair and square. It's not my fault that my article was better and that you bombed the mock interview, just like you would've tanked this one."

Kelsie scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm sure he would've been extremely 'cooperative' with anyone interviewing him -- as long as they were female and had a pulse."

You shook your head. "I'll have you know, Chef Murdock has been nothing but professional towards me the entire week."

Kelsie smirked. "Oh didn't you know? Matthew Murdock will do anything -- and any one -- to try to salvage his reputation, so there must be a reason if he's not hitting on you."

Before you could respond she turned and flounced out of the conference room.

"What a bitch," Skyler muttered under her breath.

You shook your head. "I'm not worried about her. Ellison knows what I'm capable of."

Skyler sighed. "Anyway, I want to hear all about your not-date with Chef Hottie. Lunch later?"

You nodded. "Sure."

"Great. I'll swing by your desk around 11:30."

"Okay."

You went back to your desk, dutifully ignoring the daggers Kelsie was continuing to shoot your way, and worked on your other tasks until it was time for lunch.

You looked up as Skyler stopped by, purse in hand. "Ready?"

You nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

The two of you walked down the street to your favorite food truck.

"Okay, so tell me everything ," Skyler said once the two of you sat down at a nearby table with your food. "Like how you went from going to Daredevil for brunch to a private dinner with the chef."

"There's not much to tell," you replied with a light laugh. "But okay."

You took a breath. "I had told Matt on Saturday that I was planning on coming back to Daredevil for Sunday brunch because the crepes he had made during the cooking demo he did for me were really good, so he told me to get his staff to let him know that I was there and he'd come say hi."

A small smirk graced Skyler's face. "So he was willing to drop everything in order to come talk to you, got it."

You shook your head. "He wound up bringing my order out to me, so while we were talking he asked me if I would be interested in seeing how he develops his recipes so I agreed to stop by Daredevil tonight after work for another cooking demo. Then he asked me if I wouldn't mind accompanying him on his after-work errands since he thought that it would be beneficial to my article for me to spend some time with him outside of the kitchen."

Skyler huffed out a laugh. "Right, beneficial to your article, sure."

You smiled and shook your head. "We went by Clinton Church first to cook for the soup kitchen--"

Skyler held up a finger. "Wait a second. So he asked you to spend the afternoon with him out of the kitchen, then brought you to a different kitchen to watch him cook?"

You shrugged. "I didn't mind. He usually cooks at Daredevil and just brings everything over to the church, but he asked me if I wouldn't mind coming over early and he'd just do his cooking for the church over there instead."

Skyler raised an eyebrow. "Mmhmm, so he could spend even more time with you."

" Anyway, after we finished up at the church we headed to his gym since he frequently goes after service to unwind."

Skyler grinned. "Ooh, so you got to see him all sweaty?"

You nodded. "The arms on that man, let me tell you…"

"And the ass." Skyler did a chef's kiss. "You can't tell me you didn't check out his ass."

Your face heated. "Well… maybe a bit."

Skyler gasped. "You did! I knew you were interested in him!"

You groaned. "He's so handsome and sweet and funny and genuine, not to mention an incredible chef… but I'm writing a story about him for the paper, it's completely unethical for me to be thirsting after him -- even though it's absolutely unfair how good he looks in a tank top and a pair of sweatpants."

Skyler shook her head. "Your story's due, when, Wednesday? After that you won't have to worry about journalistic integrity or whatever's stopping you from jumping his bones. So how'd you wind up going home with him?"

You wrinkled your nose. "Don't say it like that, you make it sound so… clandestine ."

Skyler rolled her eyes playfully. "Okay, fine. Having dinner, happy?"

You chuckled. "Yes. After he was done at the gym I asked him where to next and he said that was all he had left to do so I said okay and that I'd see him later, but then he asked if I'd like to have dinner with him as a thank-you for helping him out at the soup kitchen. I agreed, so we stopped by his plot at the Clinton Community Garden to pick some fresh basil then headed to his apartment."

Skyler waved a hand at you to go on. "Where you…"

You shrugged. "Where I drank some wine and ate some delicious carbonara, then sat and talked with Matt for a bit on his sofa before I went home."

Skyler's eyebrows raised. "Wait, you were serious? Nothing happened between you two?"

You shook your head. "I mean we hugged before I left, but that was it."

Skyler shook her head with a sigh. "Girl, if you can't see what's going on…"

Your brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"He's clearly interested."

"What? No he's not."

"Oh come on. He invited you to his apartment for dinner."

"As a thank-you, I told you that."

Skyler took a sip of her drink. "I'm telling you, girl, the man is into you! He's probably holding back because he thinks you're not interested."

You shook your head and stood. "Come on, we need to get back. I'm sure Kelsie is looking for any excuse to report us to Ellison."

Skyler groaned then stood as well. "Yeah, you're right. But I am too, and you know it!"

You threw your trash away and started back towards the office, your mind racing.

Skyler had to be mistaken. Matt couldn't actually be interested in you… could he?

Matt grinned to himself as he headed towards Clinton Church. He had spent the morning finalizing his plans for your "recipe tasting" dinner and was eager to get started on prep, but he needed to pick up his supplies from the church's activity center first.

Father Lantom had left him a voicemail that morning saying how appreciative everyone had been of the hot meal and how nice it had been to meet you.

Matt's mind drifted back to the previous day. While you obviously wasn't as quick and skilled in the kitchen as he was, Matt had still been touched by your willingness to help out however you could, even if it meant doing menial tasks such as slicing up tomatoes and cucumbers and dividing salad dressing into servings.

God , he had wanted to kiss you when your fingers had brushed against his while you were handing him his measuring cups, then again when you had hugged him at Fogwell's after he had told you about his dad, then again in his apartment when you two stood listening to the rain by his window, then again when you were getting ready to leave…

He sighed. Hopefully everything went according to plan tonight.

He stepped into the office at Clinton Church.

"Matthew, hello," Sister Maggie, one of the nuns from the adjoining convent, said.

"Hi," Matt replied. "I'm here to pick up my culinary supplies from the activity center."

"Oh, yes. Father Lantom did say that you'd be dropping by to pick up your things." Sister Maggie took a set of keys out of a drawer. "He's out on an errand at the moment, but I can let you in."

"Great, thanks."

He followed her out to the activity center.

Sister Maggie unlocked the door. "How is the restaurant doing?"

Matt shrugged. "It's… surviving so far. We're not doing nearly as well as I'd hoped we'd be by now but I'm hoping that the article that's going to be in the Bulletin next week will help drum up some business."

"Oh, the restaurant is being featured in the Bulletin? That's wonderful."

Matt shook his head. "Moreso me than the restaurant, but yeah. We're going to be on the front page of the Restaurant Week kickoff edition."

He paused, smiling softly as he thought about you. "Actually the reporter from the Bulletin who's doing the story on me was here with me yesterday."

Sister Maggie hummed. "Oh, yes, Father Lantom did say a young woman was assisting you, but he was under the impression that you two were seeing each other."

Matt shook his head. "What? No, we've only known each other for a few days, although…"

He sighed. "There's something about her that… I don't know, she makes me feel comfortable around her. She's kind, and gentle, and caring…" And beautiful. I have no idea what she looks like, but I know she's beautiful.

Sister Maggie hummed. "She sounds lovely."

"She really is."

"What's her name?"

Matt smiled as he said your name.

Sister Maggie gave a hum of recognition. "Oh, yes, she's the one who does all of those lovely human interest stories, right? I do enjoy reading those each week."

Matt nodded. "Right."

He bit his lip. "I wanted her to get to know me outside of the kitchen -- for her story, of course -- so I, uh, I took her to Fogwell's after we left here yesterday and wound up telling her about Dad. She already knew about his murder -- she had done some research before our interview -- but I told her about growing up with him and how he always encouraged me to get an education."

Sister Maggie reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go. "Your father was a good man, you know."

Matt nodded. "I know."

She sighed. "I know I haven't always been there for you in the ways you've needed me, Matthew, but for what it's worth, I'm really proud of you."

Matt nodded. "Thanks… Mom."

"So what are you going to do?"

Matt furrowed his brow. "About?"

Sister Maggie said your name. "She's not seeing anyone, is she?"

Matt shook his head. "I don't think so. At least, she hasn't mentioned anything in that regard."

He gestured towards the kitchen. "She's actually coming by the restaurant tonight to taste-test some new recipes for me, so I better get going so I can get started on everything."

He headed into the kitchen to get his cart.

Sister Maggie gave him a hug as he came back out. "Goodbye, Matthew."

Matt hugged her back. "Bye."

He headed towards Daredevil, his mind swirling. He knew you were attracted to him -- at least physically -- but there had been something holding you back. Could you be seeing someone?

Matt had assumed you were single based on your availability over the weekend, but just because you were available didn't mean you were available.

He shook his head. He remembered overheating your conversation with that other reporter who had greeted him the day he had brought tiramisu to the Bulletin, during which you had said that you didn't have a boyfriend.

…So then what was it?

#lotmf writes #Cooking Up Love Masterlist #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x fem!reader #matt murdock x female reader #matt murdock x you

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