#why would she give out her own number if enid's is right there? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

zoeysdamn · 2 years ago

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Bloodied petals | Xavier Thorpe x reader | Part.5

Summary: Heartbroken by Xavier’s rejection, you know that your days are numbered now. Enid has your back as a dutiful roommate and manages to convince you to go to the Rave’n – even if it’s the last place where you want to be. Maybe some unexpected bonding time with Bianca cannot be that bad, before some terrible news is delivered.

Warnings: angst™, mentions of blood, swearing, underage drinking, description of a panic attack. English isn’t my mother tongue.

A/N: I know I’ve promised some fluff in this chapter buuuutttt this is already so long like omg so, sorry guys you’ll have to wait for the next one :DD

[Masterlist] [Part.1] [Part.2] [Part.3] [Part.4]

It was a weird feeling to know that you were going to die soon. In the two days following Xavier’s rejection, you had basically locked yourself in your room, a basin always at hand’s reach. You didn’t even try to hide it anymore when Wednesday was around, besides you were kind of busy throwing up every single flower and petal to care about her occasional pitiful looks. She wasn’t particularly having remorses, but the knowledge that her roommate was down a dreadful path didn’t please her either. You had been kind to her without being too nosy, so she tolerated you. But you couldn’t care less about Wednesday Addams’ second thoughts at the moment. All of your chest and throat felt like a burning fire most of the time and it felt like the whole Nevermore glasshouse was growing in your lungs.

In an attempt to try to delay the growth of the plants a little, you had concocted a potion you drank three times a day. There was no cure for Hanahaki disease, but it was still plants. So you had made a potion that would basically act like a weed killer. The taste was horrendous and it burned your throat almost as much as the flowers themselves, but at least it seemed to slow down their growth a little. It means that you still could pretend it was just the flu when you coughed during class and managed to hide away the flowers, but that you were curled up on your bed or over the toilets for the rest of the time.

The tricky part was to hide it from Enid. You loved your other roommate, but she was so sweet and excited about the upcoming ball, you didn’t have the heart to tell her what was really going on. She wouldn’t be able to get it out of her mind and you didn’t want to burden her with it. You always managed to flee the room just in time when she was there and you felt the coughs starting to get stronger. Fortunately, she still didn’t notice anything. Although, you knew that at some point you would have to disclose the truth to her. So you had decided to tell everything to Enid after the Rave’n and the parents' weekend following. She surely had enough on her plate for the time being. Like, convincing Wednesday to go shopping for the upcoming ball.

“C’mon, it’ll be a fun outing between roomies!” she said excitedly while Wednesday kept her unfazed expression.

“I’d rather burn my own eyes with acid rather than mingle with teenagers ready to fight over a stupid piece of fabric.”

From your bed, you rolled your eyes behind the book you were reading. On any other day, you would have chuckled at Wednesday’s antics, but the harsh tone she always used to answer Enid's kind ideas was starting to get on your nerves. Couldn’t she just say a plain no?

Luckily, Enid had an optimistic personality, “Come ooooon, just one little shopping session between roomies, please please pleeaseee! I bet even Y/N thinks it’s a good idea, right Y/N?”

The sudden mention of your name in the discussion made you jump a little and you looked up from the pages. Enid looked at you expectedly, a large smile on her face.

“I’m not going to the Rave’n,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady. You wouldn’t give Wednesday the satisfaction of seeing you cry and an occasion to ramble again about how weak your feelings made you. This made Enid gasp.

“What! Why?”

“Don’t have a date, and don’t want to go,” you simply mumbled, not without giving a glance at the pigtailed girl. It wasn’t entirely her fault, you couldn’t manipulate Xavier’s feelings for you; still, you couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Enid looked between the two of you and made a small “oh” in understanding. “But- but you don’t need a date to go!” she tried to reassure you, changing the subject quickly. “You can go on your own! Independent women don’t need a man to do what they want, right?”

You snickered at this, “Playing the feminist card won’t work this time Enid. I don’t want to go to have the whole school whispering at how pathetic I look on my own.”

Both of your roommates felt kind of sorry for you at that moment. Of course not, in the same way, Wednesday was more bored of this whole ordeal and was slightly saddened by the fact an acceptable roommate was turning bitter. It wasn’t a pretty colour on you and she might have lost a valuable ally.

“Come on Y/N,” pleaded Enid again, “you don’t look so good these days, some fresh air could be good for you!”

For a moment you felt the tip of your tongue burning with a witty comeback, something about her argument being not really convincing, but you retained yourself. Then you let out a long sigh. “Fine,” you conceded because it was hard to resist Enid’s pleading eyes, “but only because you need a fashion chaperone and you said please.”

“Yes!” squealed Enid, clapping her hands, “it’ll be so fun! I’m gonna tell Miss T we’re all going to Jericho, see you at the entrance in 10 minutes!”

She waltzed out of the room, grabbing her pink jean jacket on the way and blessedly unaware of the tension she left behind. Ignoring the heavy look of Wednesday you got up from the bed and started to put your shoes on.

“I didn’t know you wanted to go to that stupid ball,” said Wednesday. Were that undertones of guilt you heard in her voice?

“I don’t,” you groaned, “I just wished…you know what, forget it you wouldn’t get it anyway.”

“If it’s about Xavier being my date then no need to be so petty about this,” she said rolling her eyes, “I’m just using the occasion to watch him and find out if he’s the monster or not.”

You let out a bitter laugh, flabbergasted by her words. “Do you realize how much worse it is? You know what I feel for Xavier, and you’re inviting him to interrogate him? Holy fuck.”

“I’m trying to stop a monster here Y/N,” she deadpanned flatly. “There’s no need for bitter behaviour.”

Exhaling loudly through your nostrils, you turned to her with a harsh glare. “I’m not jealous of you, Wednesday. The only thing that makes me mad is the fact that Xavier accepted to go with you barely a minute after I confessed to him.”

This time Wednesday’s eyebrows rose up high, probably not expecting that. She had thought that you were only jealous of her and the proximity that her invitation to Xavier might imply to a random mind. Teenagers and young adults were guided by their primal emotions after all, but you were shaking all of her certainties.

“I’m just heartbroken really,” you sighed while putting on your jacket, tears once again ready to flow, “so drop it, I’m just going to humour Enid and clear my head.”

Just as you were about to close the room’s door, you heard Wednesday speak again, “I don’t know much about romantic feelings, but I think you’re rightfully upset. Thorpe is a fool.”

That made you pause for a moment, “Yeah, I know,” you breathed out quietly.

That was the closest of a nice thing Wednesday could tell you.

Unsurprisingly, your gothic roommate abandoned the rest of your odd trio in front of the clothes store a few minutes later. She had to snoop around god-knows-where, so it was just Enid and you. The werewolf looked around, barely containing her excitement or her shopping spree. You only browsed through the racks mind-absently, not really looking at the clothes or listening to her happy banter. Which she noticed.

“Sooo, what’s with the long face?” she asked innocently. “You’re not one to usually skip parties.”

“I’m just not feeling like going this time, nothing big,” you mumbled. You hoped that Enid would drop the subject. She didn’t.

“Is this…about Wednesday?” she dared to ask, and offered you a sorry smile when you whipped your head at her. “Is this because she invited Xavier? I know you’re close to him and–”

“This is not about Wednesday,” you snapped at her, irritably. Why did people keep assuming you had the role of the jealous bitch?

Enid’s slight jump made you sigh; you shouldn’t have snapped at her like that. “Look, it’s just…I’m tired, okay? Besides, this isn’t about Wednesday, it’s about Xavier.”

Your roommate’s face suddenly lit up and she gasped, “You’re jealous of Xavier?? You mean you and Wednesday–”

You frowned while letting out a surprised laugh, “What? No! If anything, she’s more your type than mine.”

Enid’s cheeks lit up slightly, “She’s not!” she defended herself fiercely – too much to be honest. You chuckled; you definitely had to tease her about this later.

“Your type involves two kinds of people: love-stuck but dumb gorgons and mysterious unfazed goth girls,” you said with a roll of your eyes.

“This- this- this isn’t about me, don’t try to escape the subject!” she sputtered, cheeks flaming red. “And wait a minute? Did you say that the problem was Xavier? Oh my god,” she beamed, “did you finally realize that you loved him? That’s so great!!”

Your face darkened at that and you cast your eyes elsewhere to hide your shame, “Not really no,” you whispered. “He doesn’t love me back.”

“What??” screamed Enid, loud enough for a few other customers to glare at your pair. You threw them a sorry look before giving Enid a disapproving stare. “What?” she repeated, whisper-shouting this time, “what do you mean he doesn’t love you? He totally does!”

“Well, turns out he doesn’t,” you said in a sad tone you couldn’t hold back. “I kissed him and…and he told me that he doesn’t love me back, end of the story.”

She stood there, mouth agape in utter shock. At her frozen face, you only shrugged weakly like it was nothing.

“What? But how? This can’t be, you guys are like the most likely future couple in the whole school!”

Tears burned your eyes and you tried so hard to not let them fall. “Well, since he agreed to go to the Rave’n with Wednesday less than five minutes after I told him…guess it’s pretty much obvious.”

“He did WHAT?” shouted Enid, earning a few angry glares once more. But she couldn’t care less, she was furious. “And you were there??”

You nodded weakly. “I heard them, yeah.”

“That FUCKER, you just kissed him and confess to him and he has the audacity to say yes to another girl’s invite? Argh!” she ranted, throwing her hand in the air ragefully. “The nerve of that piece of shit!”

“Woah Enid Sinclair, you kiss your dad with that mouth?” you chuckled, slightly taken aback by the loss of her temper.

“Yeah and I have every right, I’m fucking mad at him Y/N!” she fumed, angrily putting back a dress she had been holding for that time. “He acted like a dick and now you’re miserable!”

“It’s nothing Enid,” you mumbled.

She grabbed your hand over the rack with pleading eyes. “He broke your heart Y/N, this isn’t nothing.”

You gulped slowly, a single tear sliding down your cheek. Even with trembling lips, you managed to articulate something, “It’ll pass eventually.” Squeezing her hand lightly, you tried to give her the most reassuring look you could put on.

The sad wincing she let out was heartbreaking, “Oh girl…”

Whipping your tears you refocused on the clothes on the rack.

“So,” you said more lightly, clearly trying to change the subject, “what do you want to wear? I think you’ll look terrific in feathers.”

The bone-crushing hug she tugged you in surprised you, almost squeezing all air out of you. Enid had come around the rack so quickly you hadn’t even noticed her coming over to tackle you in a bear hug.

“Woah, calm down wolfie,” you chuckled weakly, “what with the sudden burst of affection?”

Her laugh was muffled by the way her face was buried in your shoulder, “Don’t act so surprised, you know this was coming. This is your roommate’s heartbreak mandatory hug.”

You wanted to reply something, but honestly, the words were stuck in your throat. Tears prevented you from saying anything. So instead, you returned the hug, hands gripping tightly Enid’s back. It was warm, friendly and frankly, the kindest thing someone had ever done to you for the past few days. You let yourself sink into the hug, letting its warmth envelop you in much-needed affection. When a small sob rocked your body, you realized how much you had craved that.

Slightly tugging away from the hug, Enid took both of your hands, “Look I know everything feels like shit right now, but let me help you with this okay? Come to the ball, it’ll lift your spirit a little. Just between us girls, in our best outfits, drinking cheap cocktails, and dancing to lame electro music until our feet bleed, it’ll be fun!”

Her joyful tone made you smile. In a way, it might be the last party you would attend…the disease was already quite serious, and now that Xavier had rejected you, the chances of healing had simply vanished away. So if you had not much longer to live, why not have the more fun you could? Why not experience everything you could since it’ll soon be over? One last party before the dark no matter how your chest ached.

“Fuck Xavier and his ungrateful ass,” continued Enid, “you’re gonna have fun and enjoy this ball like the queen you are, okay roomie? And don’t you dare turn this down because I–”

“I’ll come,” you cut her off.

“Because believe m– you what?”

“I will come to the Rave’n,” you repeated with a weak but honest smile. “Independent women don’t need anybody, right?”

She beamed at you as she realized that you quoted her and brought you into another bone-crushing hug. Her heartwarming reaction made you laugh; she was right, you could use the Rave’n to change your mind, even if it wouldn’t be so easy. But Enid had this strange power of convincing people to do what was best for them. Maybe she was the witch in your dorm after all.

Spending the rest of the day snooping around the shop and digging to find perfect outfits had the merit to alleviate your pain and forget about the flowers a little. This was all you could ask for these days.

To say that you were excited about the Rave’n was an exaggeration. Three days or so before the ball, you had a newfound thrill about it thanks to Enid, but your mood had decreased in the meantime. First, because your health hadn’t gone better despite the potion you’ve been taking. It slowed down the growing process, sure, but weed killer was still poison. And second, words had spread that Xavier had dumped Wednesday for the Rave’n. This didn’t sadden you per se, but a small, naive part of yourself had secretly hoped that he would invite you instead. This was silly but for the briefest moment, you had thought that he would, at least because you were best friends. He didn’t.

So it was half-heartedly that you applied some light make-up before the dance, your white outfit hanging on the door of your closet. Enid’s energy was barely enough to make you smile but you had promised her you would come. When her date came to pick her up at the door she gave you an excited wave of the hand, reminding you to find her later when you arrive at the party. She didn’t want to rush you or pressure you if you didn’t want to arrive this early, and you were grateful for that. The more time passed, the more your already thin will to go seemed to vanish. And yet, you sighed and grabbed your outfit with you to get changed in the bathroom. While you had felt empty most of the day, something tiny and warmth erupted in you when you got a look at yourself in the mirror once changed. You had picked long white palazzo pants, with an equally white corset top that showed off your shoulders and arms; flowy thin off-the-shoulder sleeves gave an impression of weightlessness like it was effortless to be here. Perfect to hide the reality of the pain dragging along your steps. But…the longer you looked at yourself in the mirror, the stronger this pleasant - albeit quite weak - feeling grew. For the first time, you actually found yourself pretty. The discreet silver embroidery of stars and constellations on the corset and the platform heels of your favourite colour were nice additions. Of a sudden, you started to feel nostalgic. In a way, this night was your last outing with a large crowd of people you knew, and most of them would probably never see you again. A strange feeling of confidence rushed by; not the one when you feel powerful by the way you look or carry yourself, but one of the ethereal moments, frozen in time yet ephemeral. You hadn't particularly made a difference in your short life but at least you were glad that you could shine for one last dance, clothed in white before the red of your blood would take over.

Whipping a treacherous tear that had made its way to the corner of your eye, you then squared your shoulders. With a last long inspiration for strength, you exited the bathroom.

Seeing your other roommate packing a bag, you frowned slightly.

"You're going somewhere?"

"Eugene and I are going to watch over the cave we discovered," she said simply, packing a flashlight, "it's highly likely to be the monster's den."

"Eugene? Ottinger?" you asked, surprised by her unconventional choice of companion. At her sharp nod, your face turned into a concerned expression. "I'm glad he's with you then, but…be careful, okay?"

She snapped her head in your direction, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Yeah, but Eugene's not. He's a good kid, he doesn't deserve to be hurt," you insisted.

You didn't know Eugene Ottinger that well, firstly because he was younger and a class below you, but you had met him on various occasions especially about bees when some of your potions required honey. But he was a kind boy, and the knowledge that he was going close to a supposed monster nest wasn't reassuring at all.

And seemingly, Wednesday saw your worry and you could swear that you saw her hardened expression ease a little.

"He will be safe with me," she said. "Besides I'm the only one allowed to torture him. Bee code."

That pulled a small smile out of you. Under her tough armour, Wednesday actually had a soft side. Not wanting to push it further, you quietly made your way to the door; no need to delay the party further. Swinging the door open, you stopped dead in your tracks at the unexpected sight of a familiar figure. Tyler stood there dressed head to toe in white, fidgeting nervously.

“Oh,” he said, almost as surprised as you. “Hi Y/N.”

“Galpin,” you greeted dryly.

He scratched the back of his head, mouth opening like he was about to say something. You swore that if he was about to sweet-talk you by making an actual compliment you were going to punch him. Fortunately for him, he didn’t. “Is- uh, is Wednesday here?”

You arched an eyebrow at his question. Or more accurately, at Tyler Galpin being at your dorm room dressed to the nines and asking for your roomie. “Sure,” you said, “Wednesday, there’s someone for you.”

She said something about Eugene being on time and you didn’t need to look at her to feel her freeze next to you when she reached the door. A very awkward beat passed, and then you decided that you definitely didn’t want to witness the strange conversation that would follow. Slipping away you caught a brief look at Thing hiding inside the room. This was going to be an interesting story to hear about later.

Going down the stairs of the Ophelia wing, you started to get cold feet about this party. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea, after all? But before you even thought about going back to your dorm you were already at the party, and Enid had definitely seen you. Her enthusiastic gasp made some of your friends’ heads turn.

“Y/N, you look so pretty!” she exclaimed as you approached them, shyly greeting the rest of them.

Ajax let out a low whistle, “Well, none of you told us this was an actual fashion show or what.”

“Nice outfit, I second the shoes,” said Yoko with a smirk.

“Thanks guys,” you said almost shyly.

“You’re like Glenda the witch of the East!” beamed Enid, which made some of the others chuckle.

You thanked her and went to grab the two of you some drinks. Apparently, her date was supposed to but he stood rather awkwardly in the middle of the Nevermore students' crowd. Returning with the blue drinks in hand you cheered with the small group of friends, swinging gently at the music rhythm while everyone arrived. You even caught sight of Principal Weems, a somehow proud smile plastered on her face as she chaperoned the whole party. Everyone seemed to have a good time and it warmed your heart. One of your last memories of your school and its students, it was a good one.

But then, you heard Enid gasp.

“Oh my god, look who’s there.”

You whipped your head, expecting the surprise appearance of Wednesday at Tyler’s arm – if she hadn’t eaten him alive first. Instead, you felt your heart leap in your throat like a freezing iceberg to the bottom of the ocean. Cladded in white and hair tightly brought in a bun like he often did, Xavier walked in. And on his arm in a stunning silver backless dress, Bianca. Before you could stop yourself you choked on your drink, a coughing fit rocking your whole body ungracefully.

“Shit, you’re alright?” immediately asked Enid.

You wiped the corner of your mouth slightly, just to make sure you didn’t actually drool on yourself. “Yeah,” you mumbled, “be right back, ‘m gonna fetch me another drink.”

Dodging her questions or the questioning looks of people around you sped to the minibar. Once you made sure no one saw you, you hurled over your drink and let a large white bloodied flower drown down your glass. The red blood distilled into the blue tint of the cocktail, melting like deadly poison. That made you wince and you put down your drink on the table, hidden behind some bottles. You picked another clean glass of this whatever-virgin cocktail and waved discreetly your hand above it. Taking a sharp swing of it you were secretly glad to feel the familiar sting down your frown. At least you still had enough power to cast this spell transforming water into liquor. This night was going to require much stronger than soft drinks.

From that moment, the Rave’n took a more bittersweet turn for you. It was hard to not glance at Xavier or Bianca – which, if you had done, would have made you realize that the vibes were awkwardly cold between the two of them. Even though Enid and Yoko tried to distract you, dragging you to the dance floor and trying to make you laugh. Their antics worked as you ended up swaying and dancing along to the loud techno music, pretending it didn’t pierce your ear drums. You didn’t even flinch at Wednesday’s sudden appearance, her black dress parting the crowd of white outfits like the red sea. It wasn’t your time to care, nor did you want to. The glass of booze you had certainly helped; you weren’t drunk, not even tipsy, just feeling light-headed enough to tune down, for a few minutes, the aching pain in your heart. The feeling of weightlessness was numbing and soothing, but not enough to forget the plaguing thought of your sickness. Or the weight of Xavier’s rejection, rubbed in your face by his arrival with Bianca.

When a more slow song started, this artificial euphoria wore off slowly. And the feeling of your loneliness became very real again. The room became too crowded, too much to handle and you walked out of it, like a zombie. Finding a seat outside you plopped down unceremoniously. Your legs ached, maybe you had tired yourself out in the end. As tiredness sank into your bones, numbness overtook you whole once again. Not quite like before, like a soothing caress, more like a piercing melancholy wrapping around you like a comforting, yet exclusive blanket. Nothing had felt more empty before, but your lonely being with eyes haggard and heart bleeding out of your chest.

The sound of a deep sigh made you realize that someone had taken a seat near you, and you were surprised to see none other than Bianca on the other side of the sofa. She didn’t look too happy either.

Unable to stop the words from coming out of your mouth, you blurted.

“Are you alright?”

The siren whipped her head to you, icy blue eyes half throwing daggers, half…sad?

“Why do you care?”

Her harsh tone could sound rude, but you knew better than that. Your question had been incredibly random, you weren’t even sure that Bianca actually wished to talk with you, but you recognized the hurt in her eyes.

At your unfazed expression, she sighed once again, “I’m sorry for that,” she excused herself, “this was uncalled for.”

You only shrugged, “I guess this is what I get for spoiling your evening.”. Bianca’s eyebrows rose slightly at your bitter tone. This wasn’t usual for you.

“You’re not the one ruining my night, trust me,” she mumbled, glancing at the ballroom.

Following her gaze, your eyes landed on Xavier, sitting at one of the tables and gaze locked on Wednesday and her date. His knuckles were white and his jaw clenched. If this sight made your heart break a little more, you were pretty sure that Bianca’s did too.

The siren sighed and accepting her defeat, slumped in her seat. Bianca Barclay never slumped.

“He’s not mine anymore, isn’t he?” she whispered out loud.

Your eyes widened at her. Of all people you really didn’t expect Bianca to confide in you. Sensing your disbelief she turned her blue eyes to you. They were glossy with tears.

“I’m not sure I’m the one who can help you with that,” you said with a sorry look.

She scoffed lightly, but the sad look was still plaguing her traits, “I think you can, Y/N. Since when do you love him, exactly?”

The question slightly took you aback. When they had started dating, Bianca had kind of cornered you to give you the classic speech, new girlfriend to best friend, halfway to threats, and had asked you if you loved Xavier then. You had to say no. But now…this wasn’t the same prideful, powerful and confident girl, looking forward to ensuring her superiority. This was the teary-eyed, heartbroken girl who seek answers to get some sort of closure. Who were you to deny her that?

So you sighed, and cast your eyes on your lap, “A long time,” you muttered quietly.

She hummed knowingly; this may be the first time you actually heard her being tired. “To be honest, I was glad he accepted my invitation,” she told you, like confidence. “But I was surprised he didn’t invite you first.”

You coughed weakly, not even bothering to be careful of Bianca seeing the eventual petals that could come out. “Yeah me too,” you whispered, “but it doesn’t matter now.”

Bianca tilted her head, a bit surprised by your words, “Yes it does.”. At your raised eyebrow, she nodded in Xavier’s direction. “Wednesday’s not the only one occupying his mind tonight. He may think he got a poker face, but he doesn’t.”

Out of reflex, you looked once again at Xavier. The blue and yellow lights of the party shone on him, highlighting each of his sharp features. A sob made its way into your throat and you blocked it just before it escaped your mouth. Everything just hurt so much.

“I don’t know what happened between you two recently,” said Bianca with an unknown softness, “but he does care. He worries about you, I know that”

A cough wrecked your body, allowing petals and flowers to fly out of your mouth through your painful throat. Clamping a hand over your mouth under the siren’s perplexed eyes, you sighed in relief when the fit ended. Opening your hand to see as usual blood-coated flowers, you felt your chest ache.

“Well, maybe his concerns won’t be enough this time,” you said weakly. Throwing away the flowers carelessly you avoided Bianca’s concerned gaze. “Maybe I should’ve thought about myself first, for once.”

She let out a dry and tired laugh, “I second that. Maybe I should have too.”

You offered a weak smile. No matter how much you both had, or loved Xavier, you couldn’t deny anymore the hurt it brought upon you. Especially upon you.

“I’m sorry for having invited Xavier,” finally muttered Bianca.

You shrugged, “Don't be. You had every right to try your chance. I knew this might happen”

She nodded, silently appreciating the lack of hate. You were far too tired to give that. “What made you come here, then?”

Remembering your roommate’s words, you smiled a little, “Something along the line of independent women not needing anybody.”

Bianca chuckled at that. Whoever told you that was right.

The arrival of another siren, blessedly unaware of the unexpected and open-heart conversation that had been going on, distracted Bianca from you. Her ability to put on a bright smile in the blink of an eye impressed you. You took that as your cue and got up, returning to the party before Enid or anyone would get worried. This strange bonding time reminded you why you had come in the first place: no matter how broken your heart was, this was about you and getting one last fun night before the dark.

No one could really tell for how long you had been dancing again. Arms up, flowing along the music like nothing around you mattered. In a way, it did. Blurry faces of your friends and smiles that you didn’t know who they belonged to. It was like your mind had blacked out from the rest. Nothing could reach you; not the plaguing thought of your upcoming passing, not the burning sensation through your lungs, the tickling and bitter scrap of petals trying to crawl out of your throat, or the heavy burden of your broken heart. It was just you; for the first time, it was just you and it didn’t frighten you so much anymore.

A warm drop sliding down your forehead broke you out of your trance, making your eyes flutter open. All the students were still dancing without the slightest care of the world, and you thought that you had maybe imagined things. Reaching for the damp spot, you brushed your fingers against it and gave them a look. A sticky, deep red liquid coated them. And before you could wonder what was happening, all hell broke loose. Torrential rain of blood sprouted out of the room’s sprinklers, drenching everyone in the blink of an eye. All the white outfits turned into a deep crimson shade and scream erupted everywhere. Terrified students ran, trying to find cover the best they could, and in the middle of it all, you stood frozen in place.

As soon as the bloody liquid had started to pour it had been like reality had come crashing in. The rational part of your brain screamed at you to run away, to find a shelter; but your eyes were stuck on your trembling hands, bathed in red. Flashes of white flowers and petals echoed in front of your eyes in a never-ending fall, your heart started to spin and suddenly you couldn’t hear anything but the loud and panicked beats of your heart. Like an infernal spiral, your mind started to fall apart, replaying uncomplete scenes in your head; the burning sensation in your chest, tearing your body apart as you gagged blood mixed with flowers, the vision like from far away, of your own body losing grip on itself and laying cold on the ground for merely seconds that still felt like hours, the waking up in cold sweat in the middle of the night, trying to scream but being unable to because of your throat stuffed with petals. God, why did anybody hear the deafening thumping of your blood behind your temples? They were so loud, and your chest, it ached so much! Maybe somebody was calling out for you, you didn’t know. It felt like your head was stuck in cotton wool, and your body trapped within the spiralling of your own mind. And why did it hurt so much, why couldn’t your chest burst open once and for—

“Y/N!!” shouted a voice over the terrified screams. “Y/N we have to go!”

You knew that voice, that you were certain of it. It was the grip on your arm that made you snap back into reality a second later. Drenched in red, Xavier looked at you with frightened eyes.

“You heard me? We have to go!” he repeated.

It took your brain a few more seconds to reconnect fully to reality. It wasn’t fast enough for your legs to register how to walk on your own, so Xavier had to drag you along behind him, trying to reach the room’s exit the quickest way possible. You wondered how long it had taken him to notice that you hadn’t tried to get out on your own.

Someone bumping into you managed to get your mind focused fully again. Catching the smaller frame of Wednesday out of reflex, you immediately noticed that something was wrong. Eyes blown wide and head thrown backwards, something was going on. Immediately, you and Xavier tried to call her, to get her out of this frightening trance. She gasped for air merely a second after, like someone had just resurrected her.

“Eugene’s in danger,” she whispered immediately.

“What?? You let him go on his own?” you snapped back.

“He’s in the woods he’s in danger, I see him he’s in danger,” she continued to ramble, almost like a chant.

Swearing under your breath, you immediately let go of Wednesday muttering a hurried “keep an eye on her” to a flabbergasted Xavier; then you didn’t waste a single second and sprinted out of the room. Damn be your newfound motto about thinking about putting yourself first, you weren’t going to let that kid die.

Reaching the outlines of the wood you cursed loudly at your impractical platforms and quickly got rid of them. Then your erratic run resumed.

“Eugene!” you called from the top of your lungs. “Eugene, where are you?!”

Nothing but silence answered you but you didn’t give up and continued to run, hoping to not be too late. A harsh burning clamped your heart, maybe from the running; it seemed that you didn’t register anymore the petals your body unconsciously rejected now. It roamed through your lungs, making it difficult to breathe now. A sharp wheeze escaped your mouth as a particular rough fit of coughing shook your body, forcing you to stop your run for a moment, leaning on a nearby tree for support. Your lungs tugged on themselves, trying to cling to air for your dear life but nothing could go past through your blood and flowers-filled throat. You choked on nothing, tears springing from the corners of your eyes.

Before you could regain control of your own body, your knees buckled under you and you dropped onto the muddy forest floor, wheezing and clawing at your throat. You gurgled and heaved up a large group of flowers bathing in blood. The feeling of it dripping on your chin and petals stuck inside your mouth wasn’t even the worst.

Then your ears picked up something in the distance. Ever so faintly, a weeping sound. Like pleas, a rasping voice weakly calling out for help.

“Eugene,” you whispered.

Out of instinct, you tried to push yourself standing but your legs flinched under your own weight and you fell limply on the ground. Some more blood escaped your half-opened mouth, dripping on your chest with the other discarded flowers. Eyelids feeling heavy, you started to feel lightheaded as the world around you began to swirl. You tried to move, but even lifting your hand felt impossible.

The sound of hurried footsteps reached your ears, but you couldn’t find the strength to turn over to see who it was. Then without a warning, they turned you over, back on the ground. Wednesday.

“Y/N, did you see the monster? Where’s Eugene??”

Any word that you tried to form came out as pathetic gurgling sounds. The Addams’ eyes flickered to your blood-covered chin, then to the flowers on your chest and on the ground.

“How did that happen?” she asked hurriedly, “did you see Eugene??”

Finally managing to articulate something, you croaked, “...further…down…heard him…please hurry…”

She gripped your hand, looking like she was torn apart between staying with you or looking out for your lost comrade. Sensing her dilemma even with a blurred mind, you weakly squeezed her hand back as an encouragement.

“Go help…him…’f not too late…”

She nodded frantically, almost trembling, “Others are on their way Y/N,” she tried to reassure you, “hold on tight, okay? You’re going to make it.”

You could only nod weakly. But as Wednesday was about to get up, an unknown surge of panic gave you enough energy to grip her forearm tightly. Snapping her head back at you, her eyes widened even more at the pleading expression that faced her.

“Please…” you whimpered, “don’t…don’t let him…see me like this…”

Tears roamed down your cheeks freely, and you felt your strength leave your body with every passing second.

“What?” she asked in confusion.

You wheezed weakly, “d…don’t let him think…think…that it w…as his f-fault,” you pleaded before letting your gripping hand fall on the floor with a thud.

The following seconds felt like hours. The weight of your body seemed enough to bury you in the ground. Some shouts were heard in the distance. Before your mind blacked out, you remembered the shouting voice of Xavier screaming your name. Then the night took over.

The smell of sanitized belongings was the first thing your brain registered when you emerged into consciousness again. Then the white light, blinding even behind closed eyelids. You heard and felt your whole body groan in pain. It was considerably tuned down from what you were used to, still, soreness erupted through your limbs. After a solid minute of struggling you finally opened your eyes.

Awakening in a hospital bed wasn’t something you had ever wished for in your life. Yet, here you were apparently. Taking a look around with groggy eyes, you didn’t even notice a nurse walking by, or her saying something about notifying your legal guardian. It was only a few minutes later when Principal Weems entered your room that you connected the dots. At least, the best you could with your still fuzzy brain.

“Miss L/N,” she said in a soft tone that was tainted with relief, “I’m glad you’re finally awake.”

“I- how long was I out?” you rasped, tongue feeling pasty.

“Almost an entire day,” answered the principal, closing the door behind her. “How are you feeling?”

You winced slightly, a lingering pain piercing your chest still, “Sore. What happened? Did- did you find Eugene?”

Weems pursed her lips but still nodded, “Mr Ottinger is fine, he’s currently getting some treatment in this hospital as well.”

You let out a relieved sigh. At least, Eugene was safe; but she still hadn’t answered all your questions.

As she could read your mind, Weems approached your bed, a serious look on her face.

“Miss Addams and Mister Thorpe found you in the woods,” she started. At the mention of Xavier’s name, your eyes widened in panic. Oh no, what had he seen? How much did he know? Principal Weems narrowed her eyes at your reaction but still carried on, “It seemed that you had passed out from hypoglycemia; at least, that is what both of them believe.”

Her words made you frown slightly, not quite understanding where she was getting at. The serious look on her face, cold like a stone, didn't make you feel any better. But at the same time, you thought you could detect…sadness?

Principal Weems sat on the chair next to your bed and pulled out a folder from her bag.

“The doctors who had auscultated you gave me this,” she said, pulling two blue and white plastic sheets.

The first glance at the x-rays was enough for you to know exactly what it was about.

“We need to talk about whatever this is, miss L/N.”

[Part.6]

A/N: sooo I know I've promised some fluff but this was already so long omg, it'll be on the next part :') Enid roasting Xavier is my new religion not gonna lie (and I couldn't resist hinting a small Enid x Wednesday I'm weak okay) Also: can we please talk about Bianca's outfit at the Rave'n??? I like this character a lot honestly, because well...she's relatable as fuck. I thought she was going to be branded as the cliché school bitch but she's just a teenage girl who's dealing with shitty family problems and broke up with her boyfriend in a kind of rocky way. Yeah, maybe some petty behaviour at the beginning of the show was bitchy, but she's a teenager; we all were bitchy somehow Anyway, I hope you liked this part, I'm currently working on the next, take care of you♥♥

Taglist: [COMPLETE AND CURRENTLY HAVING A BREAKDOWN] Edit: wtf it works now??

@apocalypticnova @libdarkheart @ameliabs-world @certifeidlovergirl @aeisnoa @cat-loves-music @coolchick333 @eringaitskill @sweaterxav @sssleepless @l4venderia @persipeoni @coldheartedmar @littlebabyk @pinksirensong @nushy @raribella @igotanidea @ali-r3n @chaosfrisur @miinnttyy @hershey2813

@cafeaueva @queenofshinigamis @xxhospital-for-soulsxx @imtherealslimmoony @one-oblivious-nerd @amphitritesangels @valckenaux @aliciahlewis @lilsunshine1092 @ell0ra-br3kk3r @ahmya-4 @katkoosik @maggie-da-rat @hopelessnessforthehopeful @mk-the-great @neenieweenie @steviesbergthuis @rayliz793 @poison-ivy-737

@katiemrty @vanillaarr @corpsebridenightamare @ghswlz @siriusblacksl0ver @poppyalice2001 @mypsychoticlove @jointherebellion215 @siriwhitewolf @teaganthemorningstar @oblivion-void @fandomstoryreader25 @darkdaydreamer @engenelxver @maddiechapman15 @hannahnikohl @pajerita19 @i-like-trains @tinafuentes @slngarza @lqveharrington @honethatty12 @users09 @honestlyka @athenalive @sunnytkm23 @mjpark15 @joselyn001 @mermaid-painter @sagegreeeeen @hayleesworld96 @sunnyteume @itssomeonereading @vaebeau @spencershotwife @negasonicteenagefathead @ @flowersownme @eileen201804 @peacheskiwi @spiceyhotsherbet @ramiiroll @theweirdone2468 @tempressofthetarot @bambi-munson @apollo 3475 @hes-club

(don’t hesitate to tell me if I’ve forgotten you on the taglist, there had been some issues with it recently so I might have missed some usernames, if so I apologize :D)

#xavier x reader #xavier x you #xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe x you #xavier thorpe angst #xavier thorpe fanfic #reader insert #wednesday netflix #wednesday series #wednesday addams #wednesday #hanahaki disease #no beta we die like men

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dimicomi · 2 years ago

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I don't even ship Wednesday and Tyler like that, and of course y'all can focus on shipping Wednesday with whomever, but saying that she gave Tyler no signals at all before that scene in episode 4 and that it's completely out of left field...isn't all that true.

I know we're shown things mostly from Wednesday's point of view and she frequently expresses her desire for solitude and not companionship, but let's also remember that 1) she's very obviously unreliable when it comes to her own feelings, so that should be taken with a grain of salt particularly because she disproves it later and 2) she says this to Enid multiple times as well (which I've seen a lot of wenclair shippers conveniently ignore or excuse), despite doing things that suggest the opposite. It's a pattern for Wednesday.

And yeah, "signals" don't inherently mean anything because they depend on context, but nobody communicates objectively. Tyler, like everyone else, draws his conclusions from his point of view. After watching the season once alone and then again with my little sister I'd say that there are at least THREE distinct moments up till then where it would've been reasonable for Tyler to assume Wednesday's interest in him specifically.

The first and second are actually in the first episode, regarding the video call and then the festival. From Tyler's point of view, Wednesday is a girl he just met who does not own a phone and so relies on him to get her to the train station because he has knowledge about the town and also a ride out of it. At this point he's just some random guy. So when Wednesday ends up leaving in the middle of his shift, it would've made sense to assume she'd get help elsewhere and that he wouldn't run into her again any time soon. But then Wednesday sends Thing all the way to his house with her name and a phone number written on his palm just so she could speak to him. That's a lot of effort from someone he just met, even if she would say she's only using him to her own ends. That eventually leads to him giving her the sheriff's file on Gomez, upon which she acknowledges that she "isn't used to people engaging with her" and that he's doing something others don't do with her. She explicitly singles him out and regards him in a way that's different from others. I'm sure both of these things would seem significant to Tyler.

The third is on Outreach Day at the coffee shop where Wednesday asks Tyler about the original Pilgrim meeting house. This might seem insignificant because it looks like Wednesday's just using him for information here, but realistically, going to the Weathervane was completely unnecessary. Sure, the woman leading her group didn't know where it was, but Wednesday was out in the middle of Jericho during an event where townies were out and about everywhere. She could have asked anyone else - possibly even other Nevermore students since they've been there longer than her - and likely would've gotten the same information. She could've even asked Xavier when she got to the shop! It's unlikely that Tyler, a teenage Jericho native, would have special information that other townies wouldn't, but still she sought him out specifically and even said as much when Xavier asked. From Tyler's point of view, why wouldn't that signify interest?

This last one is more subtle so I'd call it an honorable mention but it's actually right before Tyler accuses her of giving mixed signals, just after Wednesday talks with the sheriff at the station. When she sees Tyler, she immediately cautions him to avoid his father. She might just be frustrated with the sheriff, but that doesn't really have anything to do with Tyler directly. However, she does know that the Galpins don't have the greatest relationship (particularly since Tyler was seen arguing with him in public at the festival, he has no problem stealing the file on Gomez, obviously distrusts his father enough to stalk him in the woods, and also sees Kinbott on a regular basis), so letting him know that the sheriff is in "frustrating form" is oddly considerate, especially given that Wednesday isn't known for being so and he knows that. In fact, the only other people to whom we see Wednesday show that kind of unprompted, unconscious consideration by that point are Enid and Eugene. It's not something that happens often, so it's significant.

I wouldn't call these examples romantic per se, and I'm not really defending Tyler in a general sense given what we learn about him, but it's not unreasonable at that point for a guy with a (probable) crush on a girl he's spent some time with to assume that she might return his feelings given the above. In fact, Wednesday doesn't even refute his assumption about her feelings in that conversation like she normally would with Kinbott or Weems. She deflects (like she does with Enid and sometimes Thing) and says she needs to prioritize instead.

It isn't "random" or "bad writing" just because y'all don't like the character or the ship. The groundwork was there since the first episode.

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v3nusxsky · 2 years ago

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Subconscious| hurt and comfort

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*Authors note~ Reader is a teacher of age to be in a relationship with Larissa. Her ability is to pass emotions through bonds. I was listening to dynasty by MIIA when writing this so maybe check it out *

Trigger warning~ language?

Prompt~ Reader experiences dreams vividly and shared the emotions it made her feel accidentally to her wife who was working next door. Comfort ensured.

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A soft yellow hue smothered the room in a soothing glow. The only source being the lamp sat on your bedside table. Providing just enough light that you could sit in bed and grade your students work. It was rather early to retire for the night, you knew that but the throbbing pain in your head that you were currently experiencing made you not care. Back resting against the headboard, red pen in hand as your eyes swam through the words on the page. Now you knew if your wife wasn't so busy in her own workload she would be encouraging you to stop and give your body the rest it so truly needed. But that wasn't the case. Which is why you were now stubbornly sat in bed determined to finish the stack of papers, hunched over as your headache worsened with every paper.

With a slight sigh you finished your pile of papers, moving them onto the bedside table you capping your pen and resting it on top. That would be a future you problem to deal with. Your vision starting to blur you quickly went through your routine as usual, just with the absence of your wife. You quickly glanced at the clock on your wife's bedside table. The numbers seemingly haunting you. It was much too early to expect your workaholic wife to retire for the night. But your body was slowly giving up. Ready to succumb to the exhaustion that your day had brought on.

Deciding a nap wouldn't hurt, you settled yourself in your shared bed. After all your wife would wake you when she joined you hours later in your bed. You lay there clutching onto Larissa's pillow nuzzling into it. Her scent was always the most calming thing for you. Her perfume mixed with her floral scent practically engulfed all your senses. It wasn't long before you succumbed to your exhaustion that was so desperately trying to take over, comforted by the smell of your lover.

Larissa POV

Soft crackles of the fire, clicking of my keypad and the sounds of nature outside was all that could be heard. Y/n had opted to work in the bedroom instead of together like normal which was most certainly a bit odd however, due to the exhausting day I knew she had, it didn't concern me too much. Y/n sometimes needed alone time and that was okay with me. After all i knew my wife can be such a stress head. Trying to be there for everyone, support everyone and even having your own dorm children to settle and deal with. I just wish she wouldn't neglect her own needs so much however, honestly it is one of her many qualities I adore.

Running a school for outcasts is certainly a challenge. However I couldn't imagine my life without it. Nevermore has been and always will be my home. I can't believe I found y/n who loves Nevermore just as much as I do. I knew from the first day she would be the one. Even if I couldn't admit it at the time. Me ? I couldn't be loved right? Oh but what a fool id been. A smile graced my lips at the memory of us. Remembering how she stuttered and stumbled over her words when attempting to admit her feelings for me. So adorable. The day she became my wife was the best day ever. Nothing could quite compare to how stunning she looked that day. It was as if the sun, stars and the moon paled in her beauty. All in white and a smile that never faded. Her eyes sparkled in a pure unbridled happiness as we danced bathing in the twinkling fairy lights. I'm pretty sure that was something Enid had an input on.

Y/n told me very early on of her ability. In fact, that's what encouraged me to be forthcoming of my own. Ironically Y/n was a less common type of outcast than I. The shapeshifter and empathic manipulator. Of course the name of her ability sounds bad. I mean I'm sure they could've found a more soothing name for it. But atlas they hadn't and my love seemed to take it all in her stride. Like all abilities it has limits. She could feel and project emotions through bonds. Most of the time, Y/n had to willingly create bonds. Which I've only seen her do once. She was exhausted for days after that. However when she explained her ability to me she explained how our bond was instant. A first for her. Often pushing emotions through a bond that was quite weak was a challenge for her. Exhausting her as her efforts all focused in the emotion. It was easy for her to be drowned in emotions of others especially the stronger more carnal ones.

At first it was a very odd sensation. It took some getting use to but now after years of practice it became normal. Often I would feel my lovers emotions. It almost faded into the background between us both. A comfortable normal. It had its uses of course, Y/n was forever sending calming waves through the bond if she sensed the stress I was feeling. Stress normally due to Wednesday Addams. Love radiated through the bond every now and then. A silent reminder. One I adored so very much. Yet tonight it was different.

The familiar pulsing of the bond sought your attention, distracting you from the email you were composing. Strong waves of fear, hurt and heartbreak were radiating through the bond. They crashed into me like tidal waves. Forceful merciless and unrelenting waves. My body shuddering with the force of the sob that left me. My breathing picked up rapidly and tears sprung into my eyes. These most certainly were not my own feelings. Y/n. Shit.

Discarding any thoughts of continue with work tonight, I saved my email closing my laptop before hurrying to my wife. Unfortunately for Y/n her emotional control was amazing but only when conscious. Her subconscious mind tend to run rampant especially triggered from her stress.

Y/n pov

No. Tears flowing like a tidal wave. Fuck. She can't be. Not my Rissa. She can't leave me. Not now not ever. "You promised forever" you half screamed half whimpered out clutching your hardly conscious wife to your chest. Hands putting pressure on her wound to help slow the bleeding. "Please Rissa talk to me. Open your beautiful eyes yeah?" You mumbled to her your own tears dropping to her cheeks and caressing them. "Please. Please don't leave me" you sobbed.

The women in your arms blinked slowly struggling to remain conscious. "D-darlin- pl-ease it h-urts" she whimpered sounding so unlike herself. Her usual commanding manner gone and in its place was the painful whimpers of your dying wife.

"I know Rissa I know I'm sorry I'm so sorry baby please don't go stay with me I love you mon alskar" you repeated on a loop. Where were these fucking medics? God she was dying and they were being so god damn slow. "Rissa we need to fire these medics when your better. Fucking tortoise would be faster" you mumbled angrily. This wasn't fair. You weren't ready.

A pained chuckle escaped your wife before she sucked in her last breath's whispering "in the next life my love" as her body gave up. She was gone. Fuck. There you sat on the conservatory floor, cradling the now corpse that was your wife and sobbing uncontrollably. This pain was like nothing you'd ever felt before.

A sob tore from your throat as you bolted upright. The tears streaming down your face as you gasped for air blinking rapidly. What? Please say that's just a terrible dream? A quick glance to your right only heightened your fears. She wasn't there. No . No this can't be . More sobs wrecked your small frame blinding you which is how you missed your stunningly gorgeous six foot three wife in the doorway. Your hands seemed to find purchase once more on her pillow only aiding your sobs. Tears soaking it rapidly as you struggled for air. Clammy skin and shaking limbs alongside the lack of air dizzying your mind was all your tale tales of a panic attack. You had to calm down before you passed out due to stress on your body. You knew that. But how could you calm down? Your wife was dead. She died in your arm. The love you built all feel to the ground and smashed into smithereens just like your heart... Fuck, what was air again? How do i breath? Everything is collapsing around me. The ground being ripped from below me.

"Darling? Oh pretty one you're okay. Can you breathe for me? Darling you need to breathe you'll pass out otherwise. Come on my love. I'm here" her voice broke through finally. How long had it been? You'd recognise the voice anywhere and it guided you like a lighthouse. Your own tortuous mind being the sea your broken ship was sailing. Your lighthouse guiding the way.

"R-r-ss " you choked out still not quite breathing and not quite sure if she was real. After all she'd just died in your arms?

"That's it pretty one good girl. I'm here Y/n. I won't touch you until you want it but I'm right here. You can hear my voice hmm? " she all but cooed out. Her soothing tone always seemed to ground you in times like this. After all this wasn't your first tango with the devil.

That's when it broke and you launched yourself in her strong capable arms. Sobbing uncontrollably, burying your face in her neck. You couldn't breathe but she was here that's all that mattered. Your love. Your life. Your gorgeous wife was here. Holding you and whispering sweet nothings into your hair. She shifted you slightly so you could feel the rhythmic pace of her breathing, that had been specifically slowed in order to reconnect yours. You still managed to stay hidden tears still flowing.

"Pretty one can you try and breathe with me?" She cooed and you instantly tried to comply. She was here and you'd do anything to keep her here. Even if that meant sucking in gasp of air into your burning lungs. "That's it good girl. Just like that for me" she praised as you choked out "h-hurts" much like your wife did in your subconscious state.

"Oh my darling, I know it does. You're doing so good for me. Just keep breathing for me. I love you so much Y/n weems. I won't leave you I promise. I have you now we are together okay?" She reassured you keeping an eye on your breathing. It was slowing at a snails pace. At least you were away from the brink of passing out she had found you at. Very cautiously you tested the bond between you both. All that radiated from it was love, concern and calming vibes. A small smile graced your lips even if only for a second. The bond was alive. Her heart beating below your head. Blood running threw her veins. It was all just a big horrible dream.

God knows how long your wife just held you. But by the time you were fully calmed in her arms yawns were escaping you. "Pretty girl are you tired my love?" She cooed her words wrapping around you like a cocoon. All you could muster was a weak nod into her shoulder. Only then did Larissa pull pack wipe your tear strained cheeks free of any stranded tears before pecking your lips. "Go lay down baby I'll join you in a minute?" She mumbled against your lips.

Wordlessly, you complied and she did her own nightly routine before going you. You settled against her chest clutching at her like a lifeline. "Darling would you like to talk about it?" She whispered into the now dark room. In which you shook your head against her. "Okay my love tomorrow yes?" In which you hummed in a confirmation. Talking about the things you felt during these episodes were vastly overwhelming for you. "Okay pretty girl. Try and sleep for me. I love you Y/n. And I'm right here okay?" You nodded once more before falling asleep in her arms.

Word count ~ 2152

*Authors note~ honestly took so long to write this I apologise for the hurt in this fic. *

#larissa weems #wednesday netflix #gwendoline christie #fanfic #larissa x reader #larissa x you #principle weems #principleweemsxreader

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tarasinclair73 · 1 year ago

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Flash Enid AU

Enid is the Flash and frequents a coffee shop that the Addams family owns. Wednesday had been making her sandwich until the shop hired new help.

Enid had avoided going to the shop after that for a few days and just going out in general. She hated when people brought up her parents. “Time to brace the outside world again.” She was meeting Yoko at the shop, she took a liking to the food.

“I didn’t see Wednesday here.” Yoko told Enid as she walked into the shop.

“Oh man, my poor sandwich…” Enid sighed going up to the counter.

“You’re not Tyler.” Yoko stated.

“No…why would I be?” The girl asked.

“He is usually here when we come here.” Yoko explained. “Can I have the breakfast sandwich with an iced coffee?” She asked the new girl.

“Coming right up, and what about you?” the new girl asked Enid.

“Uh… can I get peanut butter, bananas, raisins, honey, and cheese on a roll?”

“Wow! I may need to write that down, but sure!” the new girl replied happily.

“See, she doesn’t think it’s weird,” Enid grumbled to Yoko. Yoko just rolled her eyes. It didn’t take as long as when Tyler made their food. Tyler did make Enid’s coffee without her asking so that was nice. When they got their food and left Enid nodded. “She was nice, and she made my sandwich right!” She said excited.

Yoko rolled her eyes again, “Dude did you even look at your cup?” She pointed to Enid’s cup.

Uh….no.” Enid said confused. She turned it around. A phone number was written on the back. “Oh! Does she want to be friends?”

“Are you serious right now?” Yoko asked baffled.

“Yes…what’s wrong?”

“Dude, she’s asking you out!” Yoko exclaimed in a whisper-yell so the new girl didn’t overhear.

“Oh! We should go to work come on Yoko…” Enid said dragging Yoko out.

“You have no confidence…wait what about Wednesday?” Yoko asked as they were walking to work.

“I don’t know? She didn’t ask me out or give her phone number last time…” Enid trailed off. “What do you think I should do?” She asked Yoko.

“I don’t know,” she said. “You can wait for the rich girl, or you can go for the one who we can tell for sure likes you.”

“Wow…two girls like me at the same time. This is wild.” Enid said.

#enid x tara #enid sinclair #tara carpenter #tara never got stabbed by ghost face #flash enid #Carpenclair

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buckysdolls · 2 years ago

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Chapter 3

Xavier Thorpe x O/C

"Alana!" Muffled screams from Wednesday were the last thing she heard before passing out. Too much use of her energy would cause her to lose consciousness. That's how powerful her energy was. In the moment of falling in and out of consciousness she felt useless… she might as well be the sword brought to a gunfight at that point. Battling to keep her eyes open her last view was the Hyde being taken down by a wolf… a wolf with pink tips in its hair. Enid.

As she opened her eyes Alana recognised she was in Nevermore's infirmary. Her blurred vision became clearer…she recognised Wednesday who was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed facing her direction. Turning her head she saw Freddie asleep in a chair and directly looking down on Alana was Xavier who had perched on the edge of her bed.

"Welcome back" a coy smile from Xavier warmed Alana.

"Is it dead?" Alana groaned weakly as she sat up. Alana clutched onto the first hand she saw and it was Xavier's. She was instantly comforted by this but blushed as she felt Xavier squeeze her hand. His face was brooding as he looked concerned for Alana.

A blunt 'No' left Wednesday's lips as she approached the bed.

"You were strong, too much of your own energy can be hurtful to yourself Alana" Wednesday added.

"I know… I just wanted to make sure you and Enid were-"

The voices had woken Freddie and when he saw Alana was awake he leapt from his position giving her a gigantic hug.

"Be careful… I'm a little bruised in areas" Alana whimpered.

"A little? What were you thinking taking on a Hyde?"

"She's more powerful than you think Freddie" Wednesday replied. Freddie snapped his head to Wednesday's direction giving her a disapproving look.

"If you hadn't of gotten yourself involved with Wednesday Addams maybe you wouldn't be battered and bruised sis"

"Don't blame Wednesday. What about Enid?"

"She's fine. Ajax is with her" Xavier answered in a mellow tone, soothing as always.

"Thank god Xavier was there" Freddie patted him on the back, Xavier giving a weak smile in response.

"Xavier was there?' Wednesday questioned her eyes thinning in suspicion.

"Yeah, he brought Alana here"

"And why did you so conveniently happen to be at the Gates family home?" Wednesday began to interrogate Xavier.

"Wednesday please" Alana tried to defuse the tension.

"I was walking down to the library but you three were already there talking about your plan… but as always Wednesday, thank you for making me suspect number one again" Xavier grunted before turning his attention back to Alana. Alana looked down at the hands she and Xavier were holding, she felt the warmth and comfort but she hated to admit that she did wonder sometimes whether Xavier was the Hyde. He'd always mysteriously showed up after any interaction with the Hyde. Alana failed to mention her suspicions to Xavier out of fear he'd react in the same manner he often does towards Wednesday, seeing as Alana's feelings were much more sensitive. Alana poised herself to stand up, she grabbed onto Xavier who gently eased her up. Freddie as per usual looked moody whenever Xavier was around his sister and now his sister had gotten involved with the kooky Addams he was even less impressed.

"Stop looking like a spoiled brat Freddie. I'm fine. I need to help Wednesday finish this case"

"You'll do no such thing" Freddie interjected.

"He's right Alana. Unfortunately, you and Enid took most of the damage to my dismay. You should recover."

"I'll take her back to her dorm" Alana linked arms with Xavier and slowly they began to walk away leaving Wednesday and Freddie staring blankly at each other as if they were having a stare-down.

As the night clouded over Xavier was in his studio. He often painted dark, mysterious and menacing material… but this one was different. This was the first time in a long time he used colour in one of his paintings. A painting of Alana. Her facial features were perfect from the colour of her eyes down to the shape of her red-tinted lips.

"Poor girl" Wednesday's voice distracted Xavier. He turned to see Wednesday looking ghastly at his painting.

"What could you possibly want?" Xavier huffed, folding his arms over his chest.

"To follow my leads on the Hyde"

"Well guess what? No Hyde here" His arms flapped his arms in the air in despair.

Silence roamed the air.

"I will find the Hyde"

"I hope you do. Now leave" Xavier pointed to the door, and they exchanged one last look as she exited.

As night fell, Freddie lay on his bed, arms folded behind his head looking up at the ceiling. Clarissa's head rested on his chest looking towards him.

"You have troubles" she declared.

"Alana"

"Of course."

"She's too good for Xavier. I know he's my friend and he has good qualities but…"

"But what… you wouldn't be friends with him if he wasn't a good person Freddie" Clarissa was stroking his arm lightly to be reassuring.

"I know"

"I just don't think you're ready for your sister to be noticed by people. I think Xavier would protect her at all costs"

"I need a way to help her see sense"

"What sense is that?"

Freddie finally looked down at his girlfriend…his eyes immediately landing on Clarissa's amulet, she followed his eyesight and caught on to his idea.

"Please don't ask me to do that" Clarissa closed her eyes in despair.

"Take it off. Tell her with your siren song that Xavier was seen kissing another girl and telling her how needy and annoying Alana is"

"You can't be serious" Clarissa's head bolted up in shock at just how devious his plan was.

Freddie's face was deadly serious and Clarissa didn't want to disappoint him.

"When your plan backfires…don't blame me." She rolled her eyes and Freddie grabbed her, playfully pulling her on top of him, smothering her forehead with kisses.

"What are you wearing to the Rave'N'?" Freddie asked, releasing some of his grip on Clarissa.

"It's a surprise" She answered, rubbing her nose against his.

"The Rave'N' is only the biggest night of the school calendar year!" Enid gushed at Alana and Wednesday as they entered Ophelia Hall.

"I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than attend this meaningless dance" Wednesday spoke as she sat at her typewriter. Enid stuck her tongue out behind Wednesday's back and turned to Alana.

"I can assume you'll be going? Yes?" Enid told Alana not allowing her to turn down the invite.

"Of course. It will be great to see everyone having a nice time"

"See Wednesday…" Enid elongated her 'see' to try and encourage Wednesday to have a positive outlook on the dance.

A blunt "No" came from Wednesday's lips causing Enid to huff and flop onto her bed.

#xavier thorpe fluff #xavier thrope x o/c #xavier thorpe fan fiction #xavier thorpe fanfic #xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe fanfiction #wednesday #netlix

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fizzingwizard · 2 years ago

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I stayed up till 5:30 am... and finished Wednesday. hey I'm on vacation i can do what i want lol

thoughts thoughts thoughts (spoilers of course)

I really, really liked the show... I liked it SO much... right up until the last episode.

Which, I gotta be honest, was a total let down. Shouldn't start with the negative first, but sorry, the wound is too fresh xD

The last episode was VERY Harry Potter. Not just because of the whole "her blood is the key" thing, or the Dead Principal thing, or the resurrection of the racist icon thing. All of a sudden, all the students in the school were so buddy-buddy, and so On Task. Everyone got a glib one-liner. Everyone got a chance to be "Cool" and have their "moment."

It was cliche. It went too fast. And then the thing with the necklace! I had completely forgotten about it - had we even seen it once since Morticia gave it to her? But conveniently it can also channel spirits and let them use magic healing powers. Not so farfetched when we consider Morticia is familiar with spirits, and as a powerful witch Goody Addams probably did have lots of healing magic. So I would totally let all that slide if the rest of the episode hadn't been such a bummer.

The boys, for instance. I went back and forth wondering if the monster was Xavier or Tyler (seemed pretty clear it'd be one of them). Each time I started liking one, the show gave me a reason to like the other - and if I liked him, he was probably the monster xP But what that means is, I LIKED BOTH OF THEM. Which means I really did NOT like Tyler ending up just some goon who was, I guess, faking everything he felt for Wednesday? I'm going to guess that that's not the case - that if we get a season 2, we'll find out more, that he and the monster are separate personalities for instance, as it seemed when he threatened Wednesday in the police station. So I hope we haven't seen the end of Tyler and he's redeemed, because he seems like a kid who really needs a break and it just sucks for him to end as some murderous monster. That's such a Marvel thing to do, treat characters like cannon fodder.

And speaking of cannon fodder, although I did enjoy episodes 1-7, I got to a point where the number of characters dying just seemed ridiculous. Game of Thrones gets away with it because it primes you to Love No One. But Wednesday was insisting that relationships are valuable. A story which values interpersonal relationships can't callously kill characters. The mayor dying was such a twist but it didn't really have much impact, even though his son is one of the characters. The therapist dying was messed up. The only way it made sense was if it made a serious impression on Wednesday. It didn't, despite the fact that the therapist seemed like a really good kind of person. I get that the angle was "Wednesday's blinded by her own dislike of the therapist and over-eager to crack the case." That's fine, it just wasn't felt enough, because Wednesday cared much more about being wrong than that the therapist was dead.

That's exactly why Thing being stabbed worked. The attacks which mattered the most happened to Thing and Eugene, as well as the failed attack on Tyler and Enid. Why, because Wednesday gives a damn about them, even if she won't admit it. And with Thing of course she did. So those other character killings were unnecessary.

I'm sure I've missed some things, or some things haven't been fully explained because they're set ups for the next seasons. But that's another issue: throughout the show they dropped so. many. clues. So many subplots and hints and connections. I honestly thought, by episode 7, that Goody Addams wouldn't show up again till the next season, because she'd been so underused that I didn't understand how they could fit her in with everything else. And I do think she'll continue to be relevant, even if Wednesday can no longer see her... she might have used the necklace as an opportunity to "possess" Wednesday in the future or something. But anyway, the point is there was so much going on in just seven episodes that it was just impossible for the eighth to be fulfilling. Like Gomez being accused of killing Gates, then it turning out to be Morticia, and then it turned out he was already dying of poison so the fact that he was also stabbed suddenly doesn't matter...? And a love triangle over Morticia, while totally believable, just felt weird when it was so serious instead of comedic...

Thornhill being the master sucks. It felt shoehorned in to make the Gates plot work - which itself felt like a frantic attempt to force a connection between the Gates family and Crackstone (or whatever). I did suspect her pretty much every time she showed up. Her being the Hyde's master isn't the problem - the fact that she went through a total personality change and because Stereotypical Evil Mastermind is.

And of course, Crackstone was just an awful villain. Typical evil baddie who just hates because he can. Don't even have much to say about him, it's just boring to think of.

And Weems! From the start, I liked her so much. I was interested to see whether she was on Wednesday's side because she was Morticia's friend, or despite being Morticia's enemy - or if she was in fact Wednesday's enemy as well. In the end, none of it matters! She's just dead. It's a magic world, so maybe the death won't stick. But they set her up as an interesting player early on with her mysterious shape-shifting into Rowan. At one point I thought she was the monster, and playing multiple roles, including that of the Mayor! Obviously I was way over-thinking it. She's just a principal. Like come on, she's a shape-shifter, use that!!

I expected the Addams family to show up again in the last episode. I expected the mother-daughter drama between Morticia and Wednesday to be a bigger deal. Also stuff that I'm sure will come up again in future seasons. The reason I'm bitter about it is because that stuff coming up NOW might have actually been interesting. I really am so disappointed that the final episode was just Battle of Hogwarts.

All that negativity aside - the reason I feel so strongly is because I loved the show so much until the end! I liked all the characters. I liked that they were building background and complexities for characters like Bianca. Some things did feel forced or confused, but that's okay because there's more time to iron out the details. The best episodes for me were the ones with Addams Family characters: the parents' weekend one, and Uncle Fester showing up. They brought the spooky and the kooky into the show which really helped because without a sympathetic person around, sometimes Wednesday felt less kooky and more just messed up. That's literally why Thing is involved from the beginning.

(Also, I fully expected Thing to be a piece of the mystery. The villain was collecting body parts. What is Thing? A body part. I was initially expecting that when Wednesday solved the murders, it would turn out that Thing was a remnant of someone who was killed decades earlier or even longer by a similar monster or some such. It's not my story so I don't get to call the shots but... felt like a missed opportunity lol)

I loved the dance episode. I loved Wednesday's Wednesday-ness. I didn't feel there was too much romance, so that's something. I loved Enid and wish we got more of her, especially with her cool Werewolf vs Hyde battle, which was the highlight of the last episode. It should have been way more important, imo. Enid should have been more important. The writers clearly knew that, that's why they made her decide to be Wednesday's roommate again without Wednesday even bothering to reach out first. That annoyed me. As much as I support independent Wednesday, she really needed to be the one to make the first move there.

Honestly I could go on and on about all the stuff I liked, if only there wasn't such a bad taste in my mouth after episode eight. XP Sorry to harp on this but it felt like it was written by completely different people who hadn't even seen the show.

What it reminded me of a little was Stranger Things. I was so hooked on the first season. I loved everything about it. Then season two came and the tone was a total departure. It went from horror to sci-fi. I like sci-fi, but I was expecting more horror. So I actually stopped watching. I've been told it's gotten good again, and I keep meaning to watch the rest. But that's what happens when you switch up the tone out of nowhere: people who were watching for that tone disappear.

Wednesday was great because it was quirky with a murder mystery vibe. I didn't expect the action and magic to become so incredibly important in the final episode. It's like the show up and switched genres on me.

I'll end with a few more positives: Wednesday herself is great. (My one issue: torturing Tyler. Yes, he was the monster. But before she figured out it was him, she thought it was Xavier. Would we give her a pass if she'd tied Xavier up and tortured him?? On the one hand, Wednesday is a girl who throws piranhas in the pool for vengeance, so I guess it isn't out of character! On the other hand, that bit was played for laughs. This time, the torture of Tyler, was serious. So it comes off differently. Wait a min, Fizz, you said you were gonna talk positives. *cough) Yeah, anyway, I loved Wednesday and am happy she didn't lose her Wednesday-ness because of falling in love and making friends. Her finale hug with Enid WAS a wonderful part of episode eight. I could forgive the ending a lot of issues because of that hug.

And the Addams family cast were great. Gomez in particular was a hit. Morticia was a little more iffy, but I think it's more due to her and Wednesday having more of a plot to deal with than getting to just be herself. Thing, Pugsley and Fester, loved them.

And like I said earlier, the rest of the characters were fun and promising. I was so happy Bianca didn't turn out a typical mean girl - I just wish she'd had more of a growing friendship story with Wednesday before suddenly becoming all nice with her. And I liked Eugene a lot.

The show just took on soooo much for just eight episodes. Despite that, it was fun almost the entire time. If only it hadn't tripped up so badly in the end. I really wanted to say I loved everything about it.

In sum, I'm not sure if Wednesday Addams deserved this, but... I'm still glad the show exists. xP If there's another season, I'm going to hope the victory of the first season makes the writing staff calm down a little lol and maybe season two's finale will be better balanced.

#wednesday

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bloededhoine · 4 years ago

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world building cause twn doesn't part 4: elves!

everyone loves elves! they're a fantasy genre mainstay, archery is so sexy, and they have those E A R S. plus, they play a pretty important part in the witcher universe!

series masterpost

colour code cause i fucking love colour codes - already happened/introduced, probably s2, important background info, stuff that might be in the prequel, extras

background

i'd recommend going through the last parts, or at least the tl;dr's first

elves arrived on the continent about 2000 years before humans, and are divided into 5 distinct cultures of varying importance: aen undod, aen elle, aen seidhe, black seidhe, and aen woedde

elves only came to the continent in one group, but not all of that group stayed. the different branches based on where they settled make up the different cultures

the main two languages in the witcher are common speech and elder speech (aka hen llinge), the former used by most humans and the latter used by the elder races

aen undod

the aen undod are the oldest elven culture, having existed years before the conjunction of spheres

their home world faced some huge catastrophe, so the aen undod left in search of new worlds, leaving their descendants to become all the future elven cultures.

the aen undod spoke the oldest dialect of elder speech, laith aen undod, or one speech

aen elle

the aen elle use a language derived from hen llinge called ellylon, in which their name means "of the alders"

they don't actually live on the continent, having abandoned it years ago for their own world.

however, when the aen elle arrived in this new world, it was already populated by humans and unicorns. unfortunately, these elves are notoriously ruthless and both the native species were eradicated.

the capital of the aen elle world is tir ná lia, and is described as stunningly beautiful, featuring open air buildings made of marble, alabaster, and malachite. here it is in the third witcher video game, by djkovrik on nexus. their screenshots are amazing btw.

[ID: screenshot from wild hunt showing tir ná lia. the city is built on cliffs above a sea, there are waterfalls falling from the cliffs and bridges connecting them. there are mountains in the background and the buildings are fairly small and out of focus, they seem to be in the gothic revival style with ornate windows and steeped roofs. end ID]

the ruler of the aen elle was auberon muircetach, king of the alders and aen saevherne (aen saevherne is the honorary title of an elven mage who has extensive knowledge of magic, geneology, history, and many other subjects). auberon was also ciri's 5 times great grandfather. this gwent card pretty much sums up his vibe: scary yet sexy.

[ID: illustration of elven man with long white hair on a brown horse. he has defined cheekbones and facial features and is wearing a gold crown and blue robes with a red sash, gold belt, and leather boots. he is holding a white unicorn head in one hand. the unicorn's horn is cut off, and is bloody around its neck and where its horn was. end ID]

auberon's consort was another aen elle named shiadhal, with whom he had one daughter, lara dorren. lara is so so so important for the witcher, as she is the beginning of the elder blood, or hen ichaer.

hen ichaer is a gene that carries incredibly powerful magic, and those who have it are usually sources. i talk more abt this in part 3.

for better or for worse, lara dorren fell in love with a human sorcerer, cregennan of lod, and left tir ná lia for him. auberon took this as cregennan "stealing" his daughter and therefore the hen ichaer, and developed a pretty hefty vengeance and dedication to "take back" what was his (yikes).

this also set a precedent of people "claiming" the lives of carriers of the hen ichaer

auberon also formed an elven cavalry known as the red riders or wild hunt (dearg ruadhri in ellylon) and he appointed eredin bréacc glas as their commander. the initial purpose of the wild hunt was to travel to different worlds and capture slaves for tir ná lia, although they later became auberon's tool to find and exploit carriers of hen ichaer.

the wild hunt also uses specially trained mages known as navigators to open portals to other worlds, the most notable of these navigators is caranthir ar-feiniel, who doubled as one of eredin's most trusted men.

the aen elle also live a pretty long time, average is around 650 years, so the timelines are kinda hard to keep track of.

notable aen elle include: auberon muircetach, shiadhal, lara dorren, eredin breácc glas, crevan espane aep caomhan macha (aka avallac'h, also an aen saevherne and lara dorren's ex), caranthir ar-feiniel (also avallac'h's foster son), ge'els (the viceroy of tir ná lia), and imlerith (general of the wild hunt)

aen seidhe

put simply, the aen seidhe are the elves that did not leave when the aen elle did

the aen seidhe don't really have a society like the aen elle, they're pretty dispersed across the world. but, there are certain areas the aen seidhe have claimed as their own.

one of these little civilizations is dol blathanna, also known as the valley of flowers. unfortunately, it's not an independent state, as it was conquered by aedirn in the 1150s. however, then-king baldwin thyssen did allow the elves to retain a lot of their cultural identity and live in peace.

dol blathanna includes the village posada and the capital silver towers, which is where filavandrel aén findháil is from. he's that sexy man right there

[ID: photo of white elf man with blonde hair going to his shoulders. he is wearing tattered green robes and is looking slightly to the side with his lips pursed. end ID]

not that anyone cares, but here's him in the hexer. it's not important to the lore or twn it's just fuckin funny

[ID: old man with white frizzy wig. he is wearing a headband that appears to be rocks on a string. he has what looks like a potato sack tied around his shoulders over a green tunic. he is scowling. end ID]

outside of dol blathanna, there aren't really any places where elves can live with minimal human interaction, although the blue mountains are home to a few incredibly powerful elves

side note: dol blathanna is technically part of the blue mountains, but is in the far southern foothills so they're usually treated as separate entities.

the blue mountains are also a natural border dividing the northern kingdoms from the far east, and where filavandrel went to live after he got fed up with dol blathanna.

they're also the home of ida emean aep sivney, who's also an aen saevherne and future member of the lodge of sorceresses.

next season, we're going to meet the beautiful elven sorceress francesca findabair, also known as enid an gleanna (hen llinge for daisy of the valley)

here she is with fringilla vigo (nilfgaardian sorceress) in twn season 2. note that enid is preggers! that's very odd and i will go into detail on it later

[ID: photo of two women walking side by side. the one on the left is black and has black hair in braids going over one shoulder. she is wearing a silver dress with a similarly coloured floor length coat. the one on the right is biracial and has strawberry blonde hair in a braided updo. she is wearing a floor length blue gown with gold embroidery and a metallic brown cloak. she is pregnant. end ID]

enid is crazy interesting and important for the story of the witcher (and confirmed for season two!), so i won't go too in depth about her now

as i mentioned in part 2, nilfgaard tends to favour elves, leading to a lot of militaristic forces allied with nilfgaard. most notably, the scoia'tael, or squirrels. the scoia'tael are an incredibly ruthless and effective nonhuman guerilla force, generally divided into commandos, units that patrol a given area and eliminate the northern (or simply human) threat.

there are a lot of scoia'tael, so i'll just give you the commanders for now: angus bri cri, coinneach dá reo, iorveth, isengrim faoiltiarna, riordain, and toruviel.

you might remember toruviel as this sexy angry lady from twn, and she is possibly going to get a much bigger role later... pay attention to toruviel.

[ID: young elf woman with white skin and red hair tied over her shoulder. she has a bloody nose and is wearing a light green top with a dark brown leather studded belt. her belt is also around an olive green coat. she looks quite angry. end ID]

the scoia'tael were very well organized, but also quite dispersed, so when nilfgaard needed more specific tasks done, they would assemble specific military units (usually led by some of our favourite squirrels)

the vrihedd brigade was the most important of these units. they were especially notorious for their cruelty in the second northern war, so i'm sure we'll meet at least a few members next season.

their leader was colonel isengrim faoiltiarna (aka the iron wolf), and his officers coinneach, iorveth, riordain, and angus.

francesca findabair is not directly involved with either the scoia'tael or the vrihedd brigade, but she does work quite closely with them very often.

also important to note that not all scoia'tael are aen seidhe elves, most (including all higher ranking commanders and officers) are, but there are a number of nonhumans including dwarves and halflings.

unfortunately, the aen seidhe are slowly going extinct, both from years of genocide from humans and their slow reproductive cycles (elves live a Long time, but can only have children towards the beginning of their lives)

that's why it's so surprising to me that enid is preggers! we don't exactly know her age, but by my calculations she was over 150 in twn (pretty far past the age elves can have children).

because of this, elves are pretty divided between fighting against human rule and seeking coexistence. there are arguments for both camps, mainly that humans are colonizers and should not be trusted for the former, and that elves are dying out already and need to live with humans to survive for the latter.

the most prominent stand for the fight was in the 1060s when an aen seidhe named aelireen led an uprising against humans. most of the elders told her that it wouldn't end well, but she didn't listen and led hundreds of young elves into battle. it was an utter massacre, and basically all elves who could have children died.

yikes

unfortunately, the movement for coexistence was just as unsuccessful. it was led by our man cregennan of lod, lara dorren's husband. the poor simp just wanted to live in peace with his wife, but a lot of humans thought he was a traitor because he married an elf, and he and lara were murdered in 1137 in redania.

the last real push for independence was with the formation of the scoia'tael in the 1260s. I say 1260s because the very beginnings of the scoia'tael were right around 1262-1236 (the start of ciri's timeline) but they became majorly important around 1267. although, even the scoia'tael realized they needed humans to survive and began working with nilfgaard.

however, some scoia'tael are less keen on being nilfgaard's attack dogs, leading to further division amongst the aen seidhe.

black seidhe

remember the elves i talked about in part 2 as being the ancestors of the albans? this is them!

the black seidhe are native to the south, more particularly the valley around the alba river. they are practically extinct, but the nilfgaardians carry a lot of their cultural identity in the nilfgaardian language, a variation of hen llinge.

aen woedde

the wood elves, or aen woedde, is the elven culture we know the least about, they primarily live in the areas around nilfgaardian forests and speak hen llinge.

the only notable wood elf is aenyeweddien, or iskra, a member of the rats, a gang of semi violent youths in the northern realms. we'll learn more about the rats in future seasons.

tl;dr: elves, especially the aen seidhe and aen elle cultures, make up a large part of witcher lore. they are most notable for their long lifespans, magical and historical knowledge, and militaristic alliances with nilfgaard.

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teamxdark · 3 years ago

Note

Tis the season, I know Avalon doesn’t have a Christmas so I guess just normal gift giving. What would everyone get their loved one(s)?

(Can be office or TOA, whatever you’d like)

I've been trying to think about this for a while and I gotta say... I've been pretty stumped. Because as well as I know these characters and how they interact, I have very little insight as to what material items they'd enjoy. But heck, I'll try.

Office AU since they'll have different calendar holidays than the knights.

Arthur: He's the sort to leave gifts to the last minute, but he really does try to get something personal. He's not always successful but he'll stay up all night writing people songs if he has to.

Smithy: Makes everyone something. He likes making fancy letter-openers but he can't really explain why.

Nimue: 100% the person who makes all her gifts by hand and personalises them. She will remember the smallest hints people will mention in passing and follow through. An expert.

Lancelot: Usually buys his gifts, with the exception of some poems for very important people. Never lets himself break the bank. Has resorted to gift cards before.

Guin: A lavish gift-giver. She expects the same in return.

Gaheris: Buys treats for everyone. Usually it's chocolate but he takes care to make sure that no one gets something they can't eat/are allergic to. He has a list.

Gareth: Buys funny Hallmark cards and makes sure they match with the recipient perfectly.

Gawain: Tries way too hard to find the perfect gift for everyone, runs out of time, ends up signing Gareth's cards as well. People have received late gifts from him (we're talking mid-spring) because he found the perfect gift in March.

Lamorak: Asks you upright what you want and buys it for you if it's reasonable. Doesn't do gifts for everyone, only people he really cares about. That number is growing and he's started to complain about holiday shopping with Tristan.

Tristan: Does her holiday shopping over the course of the entire year and has wrapped presents since February.

Percival: Is a teen. Tries to budget her allowance for good gifts. Usually resorts to gift cards.

Galahad: Flowers. Hand-grown.

Kay: Tends to get people things that he thinks are cool. Sometimes it's a hit. Other times... It's the thought that counts.

Bors: Refuses to break the bank every year and every year, he treats everyone to a fun activity and breaks the bank. Experiences and memories mean more to him than material items.

Bedivere: Likes gifting food and knick-knacks from other cultures along with a reference sheet so people can learn as they enjoy their gifts.

Dindrane: Offers you one coupon for a car fix/tune up. They are always used.

Merlina: Somehow is right on the money with her presents every year. People swear she's magic or something.

Enid: Makes his own cards. Forces Geraint to sign them too.

Geraint: See Enid.

#Smash speaks.#Office AU.#Avalon Series.#long post

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walkerwords · 4 years ago

Text

“The Savior Sessions” Part 18 of 33 - Negan x GN!Reader

IMAGE CREDIT: AMC

SERIES MASTERLIST

Summary: The fair is in full swing, but an unseen enemy still has her sights set on the ones that took her daughter from her. How will this play out when people go missing? And what happens when the reader is faced with a new kind of horror while Negan waits for them to come home to him?

Word Count: 7939

Warning: Swearing, Death of Major Characters, Angst, Graphic Description of Gore

Song I Wrote To: “You Are The Reason (Duet Version)” by Calum Scott and Leona Lewis

Note: I’m Sorry. This is where we get some canon divergence. I will be changing a few things. For one, I don’t think Aaron went to the fair in the show, but he’s there in this story with Gracie. As we move into season 10, I have changed quite a bit. Thanks for sticking with me so far! ALL OFFICIAL DIALOG IS PROPERTY OF AMC

—————

It had been a long time since you had seen the walls and roads of The Kingdom.

King Ezekiel had just given his big speech as he welcomed everyone to the first community fair. Aaron had run off with Gracie as soon as you had arrived. The two of you had left Alexandria before Michonne and Judith were about to head out. Michonne assured you that she would be fine even though you offered to go with her as a security escort.

It was so strange to see so many of your old friends in one place. Tara was there with her people from Hilltop, Alexandrians milled about, and you even spotted Rachel smiling with her women from Oceanside.

If you weren’t feeling the dread from what was waiting for you beyond the safety of the walls, you would have been smiling along with her. However, you couldn’t. The entire ride to The Kingdom, you had been on edge and you thought your reins were going to shred beneath your fingers.

Aaron had told you to relax. He figured Alpha wouldn’t be stupid enough to do anything on the main road. While you wanted to believe that, the sheer fact that you didn’t run into any of the Whisperers made you even more nervous.

Still, you tried for Aaron, for Ezekiel and Carol, and especially for yourself. Aaron had been right, you needed a break. Negan’s tired eyes and concerned smile were still fresh in your mind as you walked among the stalls. He said that you would have a lot to talk about when you got back and he was right. Perhaps then, you would be able to finally get words out that weren’t drenched in frustration.

Till then, you needed to learn to breathe again.

Enid walked next to you, smiling as she too, took in the joys of the celebration around you. You noticed her in the crowd with Alden as soon as you arrived and she had just gravitated towards you, chatting away about the stall she was going to be doing.

“Did you hear what I said?” Enid asked you and you turned to her.

“Sorry, what?” you asked. She gave you a sheepish smile.

“I was just asking if you thought about setting something up?”

“A stall for the fair?”

“Is that such an odd idea?” she asked.

“I just don’t know what I would do,” you said with a shrug.

“You’re a great shot,” Enid reminded you.

“With a gun,” you said. “Not many of those around these days.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” she said with a shrug of her own. As the two of you headed for the main gate, Enid peeled off to go find Alden and you pushed on to meet Carol.

You had briefly said hello when you had arrived, but she was doing her “Queenly” duties and you hadn’t had much of a chance to speak to her. Now, she looked to be gearing up. Ezekiel was next to her along with Kelly, Magna, Luke, and Yumiko.

“What’s going on?” you asked as you approached.

“Henry isn’t back yet,” Carol explained.

“He’s not? But they left last night. They should have beat us here,” you said with a furrowed brow.

“That’s what I thought,” Carol said and you could see a worried look in her eyes. A look you were all too familiar with. A weight settled on your chest as your hand rested on the pommel of Paul’s sword. “I have to go look for them.”

“I’ll go with you,” you promised. While Carol was worried about her child, you were suddenly very concerned for the other teen in the group.

Where was Lydia?

“You don’t have to,” Yumiko said as she pointed over your shoulder. You all turned to see the large doors open. Running ahead of a horse-pulled carriage was a familiar dog with its tail up in the air.

Michonne and Judith sat in the front of the carriage as Daryl walked alongside it. In the back were Connie, Henry, and Lydia. Dog began making circles around everyone as Henry hobbled out of the makeshift carriage and towards his parents.

Carol didn’t hesitate to pull him into her arms. Connie was doing the same thing with her sister and the rest of her family. As Ezekiel grabbed onto his wife and son, you went for Daryl.

“Ya showed,” he observed as you hugged him.

“Aaron suggested I needed a break,” you said and then stepped back so Carol could launch herself at her best friend. Henry was still hugging his dad and that’s when you noticed Lydia watching the interaction with an awkward stance.

You moved immediately to her side and slipped your arm around her shoulders. “Hey, kid,” you greeted and she gave you a closed-mouth smile.

“Hi,” Lydia said.

“Ya alright?” you asked, checking her over in case she was hurt. Lydia just nodded and fiddled with the wooden pendant around her neck.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Lydia whispered and you squeezed her shoulder, pulling her tighter against you.

“I figured it would be boring without my winning personality,” you teased and she laughed a bit at that. She then became very stiff next to you. “What’s wrong?” you asked, but she was staring at something ahead. Looking up, you saw Tara staring at Lydia with venom in her eyes.

“What is she doing here?” Tara said and you placed Lydia behind you protectively. Henry then moved to her side and took hold of her hand. Tara watched the movement with anger.

Michonne, who had been speaking with Ezekiel and Carol as they got acquainted with Judith turned to the King and Queen.

“Gather the leaders,” Michonne said and then nodded at you as an invitation, “We need to talk.”

—————

“I know I haven't always seen eye-to-eye with everyone in this room,” Michonne began, “but I never stopped caring about any of you. I was just trying to protect my family and do right by my people. Alexandria's future is here. Together, with you. And we lost sight of that for a while. But... I'm here now. We're here now.”

Michonne then turned to you and gestured for you to speak. “Michonne, Gabriel, and I have all spoke with the other council members at the fair, and we all agree. Alexandria is willing to grant asylum to Lydia. She's one of us now. We hope the rest of you can join us in doing the same.”

“Since when do you speak for Alexandria?” Tara asked.

“Since I asked them to,” Michonne defended. “(Y/N) has taken up a role that I had never expected. They are more than capable of not only speaking for us but defending us as well.” Tara was quiet after that and you couldn’t help but feel pride swell in your chest at her words. You had been so worried about how Michonne would see you after everything that had been going on with Negan, but she was still the woman you had met all those years.

“Thank you,” Lydia spoke up from her spot between Judith and Henry in the theater seats. “I'll do whatever I can to earn my keep and pay you back.” You sent her a wink and she gave you her signature closed-lip smile.

“If her mother retaliates, it's gonna be against Hilltop, not Alexandria. I have to do right by my people. I thought we were on the same page,” Tara said.

“We were,” you said.

“Look, when she came to my gates,” Michonne said, “I asked her to run away. And when she didn't, I was angry.”

“Then you know why I'm not okay with this,” Tara said.

“I do. I also know why Rick didn't trust me when I showed up at the gates of the prison. And how people didn't trust you after seeing you on the other side of the Governor's firing line,” Michonne said.

“Or how Daryl nearly took my head off when he met me,” you added and Daryl raised a brow at you, remembering the moment.

“I was gonna kill you on sight when you washed up on our shore,” Rachel added.

“Okay, okay,” Tara said. “That’s fair.”

“Lydia didn’t choose where she came from,” you said. “None of us did, but she deserves the chance to be apart of something. She deserves a family who will care about her.”

“Second chances don’t come around often,” Rachel added, supporting you. You thought that statement was ironic considering who was constantly living in your mind.

“I left some of my best fighters at Hilltop, but if Daryl's right about these skin job numbers, it's not enough people,” Tara said.

“We should take a group to Hilltop to protect ‘em just in case,” Daryl said.

“I’ll take some from Kingdom,” added Carol.

“Oceanside can spare some,” Rachel said.

“Alexandria, too,” finished Gabriel.

“Nobody is going to fight this war alone,” you said. “The only reason we won the last one is that we were together. If Alpha does come after us, we can’t afford to be on different sides anymore.”

“So, we head out in the morning?” asked Rachel.

“Nah, we go today,” Daryl said. “Best not to give them any more time.” Michonne then spoke up again.

“In order to face this threat, the four communities have to present a united front. Which is why I'm proposing a mutual protection pact. An attack against one community is an attack against all of us. Together, we can make these people think twice before moving against the Hilltop,” Michonne said and you and Gabriel nodded, backing her up.

“The leadership of the Kingdom is very amenable to this idea,” Ezekiel said after looking to his Queen.

“Oceanside is in,” Rachel agreed.

“So, how do we seal it?” Tara asked. “Cause I’m not doin’ a blood oath with (Y/N).” You just smiled sweetly at her.

“I have just the thing…” Ezekiel said as he got up and walked into the wings of the stage. From a crate, he pulled out an old theater poster frame, and from it, he pulled the community charter.

“You’ve had that thing this whole time?” you asked, impressed.

“I’m a man of many surprises,” he said and you raised your hands in surrender.

“Fair enough.”

Ezekiel lay the charter on the table and one by one, the leaders of the communities signed. Rachel signed for Oceanside, Tara for Hilltop, Ezekiel and Carol for The Kingdom, and Gabriel for Alexandria. You looked at all the people in that room as you stood next to Daryl and you felt as something big had just happened.

Everything was finally coming together and your family was finally whole again.

--------

You and Judith began walking laps around the fair.

The young girl picked at a candy apple that she held in her hands. “Can I ask you something?” Judith asked, peering up at you from under her hat.

“Go for it,” you said.

“Did you talk to him before you left?” she asked.

“Subtle,” you said, flicking her hat.

“I’m just making sure you’re okay,” Judith said. “I don’t like it when you two fight.”

“When did you become such a matchmaker?” you asked.

“I’m not!” she said. “I can just see that he likes you a lot...maybe more than a lot.” You paused in your tracks.

“What do you know?” you asked, your eyes narrowed.

“Nothin’,” Judith said, but you weren’t buying it.

“Remember Jude, I watched you grow up. I can see through you,” you said.

“Nope, I’m a wall!” she announced as she bit into her apple again.

“Right,” you snorted.

“But are you okay?” she asked, this time her voice was a bit more serious. Well, as serious as a ten or eleven-year-old could be.

“Yeah, kid, I’m okay. I actually think I figured it all out,” you said. Which was true, you had figured it out, but now you were just trying to get the courage to do something about it. All in all, no matter how angry you were with him or how upset, what you felt for Negan was bigger than all of it.

“Good,” she said with a smile. As the two of you walked, you began to feel a chill in the air. You noticed Lydia and Henry up ahead walking hand in hand and as your breath became visible before you, you shivered. “I think a storm is coming,” Judith said.

“Yeah?”

“I can feel it,” she said.

“Where’d you learn that trick?”

“From Mom who learned it from Uncle Daryl,” Judith said. You couldn’t help but smile at her then.

“Smart,” you said and she laughed before grabbing your hand and dragging you further into the fray, her candy apple swinging alongside her.

---------

Back in Alexandria, Negan lay on the floor of his cell as he tossed a ball in his hands.

When the door to the cell opened, he had no idea who it could be and because he knew it wasn’t you, he didn’t care. However, when he heard the person clear their throat, he did sit up.

“What do I owe this pleasure?” he asked. Laura stepped further into the light and in her hands was a new winter coat.

“there’s a storm on the way,” she said. “I was asked to give you this.” Negan stood as she passed it through the bars.

“Thanks, Laura,” he said and she nodded. Negan hadn’t spoken to his former lieutenant since the fall of the Sanctuary, at least no more than a few words here and there.

“I’m sorry,” Laura suddenly said. Negan was confused as he braced a hand on the bars.

“What are you apologizing for? Isn’t that my job?” he asked.

“I’m sorry that your life ended up like...this,” she said, but Negan was already shaking his head.

“Don’t apologize for the shit that I did,” he said. “You know better than anyone that what I was doin’ was eventually gonna get me dead or locked up. I guess I can just be glad that Rick didn’t cut any further than he did.” Laura nodded, hearing him.

“Still, you were always fair to me and kind. I also wanted to thank you. While being a Savior wasn’t the most moral of things, if you hadn’t found me all those years ago and brought me to the Sanctuary, I’d be dead.”

“Silver lining, then?” he offered.

“A small one,” Laura said. Negan smiled softly at that.

“I’m proud of you, Kid. You managed to make a new life, one that I should have tried to give you years ago. Don’t screw it up.”

“I won’t if you won’t,” she said and then offered her fist to him. He bumped it with his own.

“I’ll take that deal,” Negan said. Laura smiled and then went to leave, but right before she left, she turned one last time.

“Oh and if you hurt (Y/N), I’ll castrate you with a rusty spoon,” she said with a grin before leaving. Negan stared after her and he was suddenly very aware of everything on his body.

“Fucking hell.”

-------

Eventually, it was time to head to Hilltop.

When you told Aaron you were going to help, he wasn’t surprised. “I knew you couldn’t sit still for long,” he had said. “Just be careful.”

You promised that you would and headed to the main gate to prepare to leave. Daryl was getting his bike off the trailer when you found him. You were tightening your sword’s scabbard when he looked up.

“Ready to go?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “Lydia is gonna stay here and then Aaron and Gabriel will bring her to Alexandria.”

“Sounds good,” you said.

“Mmhmm,” he said. “Are you in any rush to get back there?”

“You and Judith spend too much time together,” you said with a knowing look.

“So, you and Negan…”

“We really don’t need to talk about it, D,” you said.

“Are ya sure?”

“I’m so over talking about it,” you admitted. “I just gotta do something.”

“When ya do, I don’t need the details,” he snarked.

“Asshole,” you muttered and he just smirked. “Where ya gonna go after we get to Hilltop? I heard Ezekiel offering you to make Kingdom your home.”

“Not sure if this place is gonna last much longer,” he said with a sigh.

“You know that Alexandria is always going to be your home, right? No matter how long it’s been.”

“I know,” he said.

“We can’t keep running, Daryl. Come home,” you said. He was quiet for a moment before he dropped his head.

“Alright,” he agreed, “but after we handle Hilltop.”

“Okay.”

Soon everyone was saying goodbye and assuring that they would all be safe. Tara was sending her people out first before following after. Ezekiel was trying to get her to stay for the rest of the fair, but she said that she needed to get home. So, Dianne was going to lead her soldiers home.

As you were securing Daryl’s bow to his bike, you noticed him with Dog as he spoke to Connie. It was subtle, but there was something about his body language that told you a lot. Perhaps Connie was more than just a friend. You watched on as he awkwardly waved to her and when he turned back to you, his eyes narrowed.

“Shut up,” he said as he went up to you.

“I didn’t say anything,” you said.

“Nah, but you were thinking it. I can see it on your face,” he said.

“She’s pretty,” you said.

“And yer annoyin’,” he countered.

“Hey, who am I to judge?” you said with your hands raised.

“Yeah, exactly.” With a roll of your eyes, you climbed onto the back of Daryl’s bike as he took the spot in front. Michonne waved to Judith as you and the others pulled out of Kingdom. You hadn’t seen Lydia before you left, but Ezekiel said that he would keep an eye on her for you.

It was odd that you had essentially become her advocate with Daryl as her main protector. You never imagined you would essentially become a parent to a messed up teen, but here you were.

Yumiko and Magna rode behind you, their weapons at the ready and you kept your head on a swivel as you all move through the woods. Walkers were around, but only a few at a time and were easily taken out by the archers. Still, any time one would make itself known, you could feel Daryl tense in front of you. It was going to be a long night.

You were well into the ride when you came across three men who flagged you down.

Carol seemed to know them as she walked up to meet them. “What’s wrong, Ozzy?” she asked.

“Ya gotta see this, Boss,” the man, Ozzy, said. He seemed very concerned as he gestured you all forward. Daryl shouldered his bow as he followed and you and Michonne were right behind him, both of your hands on your swords.

The Highway Men, as Carol referred to them, had been acting as security and watchers for The Kingdom. They were good trackers, fighters, and were the newest addition to the community. What they had found on their patrol, worried you a lot.

It looked as if a pack of wild animals had attacked a caravan. “We were clearing the roads. Spotted tracks leading here,” Ozzy said.

“It's from Hilltop,” Yumiko said, holding up one of the wooden pendants that were crafted there. The same one that Lydia wore around her neck.

“Walkers didn’t do this,” you said with a glance to Daryl “This was people.”

“Skins?” Michonne asked and then looked to the Highway Men. “You know about them?”

“We got the download,” Ozzy confirmed. “We would have seen any people out here with my patrols, but not if they were covered in Skins.”

“Fantastic,” you said, your nerves growing.

“(Y/N),” Daryl called, “look at this.” You met him down by the broken carriage and realized what he was seeing.

“They fought back,” you said. “They were dragged away. That way,” you said with a point.

“Come on,” Daryl said.

“We can’t all go,” Dianne said. “If this was the Whisperers, then they would have followed this from Hilltop. We need to get back.”

“Michonne and I will go with (Y/N) and Daryl,” Carol said. “Rest of you ride for Hilltop.”

“We can continue our patrols around here,” Ozzy said and Carol nodded.

“Alright,” said Michonne. “We’ll see if we can find them and bring them home.” You nodded to Michonne and then everyone was shaking hands and promising to meet up later. Yumiko then joined you, offering her bow.

“Stay close and if you see Walkers, don’t hesitate. They could be Whisperers,” you said.

“And if they are,” Michonne said, “go for the kill.”

—————

“I really don’t like this,” you said as you walked next to Yumiko. Carol and Daryl were in the front while Michonne was at the back, her Katana in her hand.

“Neither do I,” Yumiko said as she gripped her bow tighter. “Do you people do this a lot?”

“Only when it’s necessary,” you said. “We try not to get involved, but we usually end up doing just that.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” she said.

“We do it because nobody else will.”

“And your families, are they okay with this?”

“My family is right in front of me,” you said. “We’ve been fighting since day one, I don’t think any of that is going to change.”

“Then I’m glad that I have you on my side,” Yumiko said and you gave her a half-smile.

“Me too.”

Daryl was tracking the Hilltop members that were attacked. You kept back, but mirrored his steps, just in case he missed anything. He never did, but it was a force of habit. All you could think about was Alpha’s face and every shadow in the woods was keeping you on edge.

“Don’t give her an inch…” Negan had said. He had wanted you to be strong and you weren’t going to let him down. Whatever happened when you saw him again, it didn’t matter. You just needed to see his face again. That was what kept you going.

You had to get home to Negan.

“Magna is worried about me,” Yumiko said, trying to change the mood. You nodded, grateful for the distraction.

“That’s actually a good thing. It means she cares about you,” you said.

“Do you have one? A Magna?” Yumiko asked.

“Sort of,” you said with a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“Word of advice,” Yumiko said. “Uncomplicate it because if you are lucky to have them, you better keep them.”

“Thanks, Yumiko,” you said and she knocked your shoulder with her own.

As you walked, Michonne and you both took down Walkers with your blades, taking their heads off their shoulders. It took you a few to get the hang of the new weapon, but it was beginning to feel natural. You would definitely need to do some proper training with Michonne when you got home though.

It was after dusk when Daryl told everyone to halt. Then, from out of the trees came Walkers that you instantly recognized.

“They’re from Hilltop!” you said as you went for the first one. In a long arc, you swung your sword at the Dead man who came at you. His head was cut from his body and you pierced the brain as it rolled to your feet.

From there on, more and more Dead converged as the sun set and darkness wrapped around the five of you. “I can’t see,” Yumiko said.

“Stay together!” Daryl shouted, placing you at his back as you and Michonne leveled your blades. The archers, all three of them, let go of their bows and drew their knives. Daryl held two blades in each of his hands as he prepared to strike.

“Watch their hands!” Michonne yelled as the Walkers fell upon you. You could feel the blood from the other Dead splashing on the back of your neck as you fought your own Walkers.

Your arms stung from the exertion, but you couldn’t slow down. Fear settled into your bones as you fought, but Negan’s voice returned to you.

“You are stronger than them and the only way they win is if you let them,” he had said and with those words being screamed in your head, you swung again, feeling your adrenaline spike.

“Back to the road!” Daryl yelled and everyone began running. “This way,” he grunted reaching for you, but before you could find him in the dark, the sound of a gun cocking had everyone freezing in their steps.

“Drop them,” a horrific whisper said and if you hadn't already been scared, that sound chilled you to your soul. More and more whispers came from around you and your grip loosened on your sword. “I won’t ask twice.”

“Beta…” Daryl sneered and you felt your heart fall into your heart. Beta was alive and you could feel the anger that echoed around him. One by one you all dropped your weapons and the Skins picked them up. Seeing the dirty hands of a Whisperer touch Paul’s sword made you sick.

“You just had to give me the girl,” Beta whispered. “No one else had to die. Now that deal...is done.” His words washed over you and no matter how many times you tried to focus on Negan’s face or his voice, all you heard was Beta’s horrifying voice.

“You touch the girl and I’ll tear your throat out with my teeth,” you snarled. Beta walked up to you and grabbed you by the throat, angling your face to meet his. You stared back with unwavering disgust.

“You make veiled threats,” he said.

“Come a little closer and we’ll see how veiled they are,” you said, pushing in closer. Beta shoved you back and you stumbled into Carol who quickly righted you.

“Take them,” Beta ordered and his people moved in.

One by one, you were tied up. The Skins tied your hands behind your back and pressed blades to your backs, forcing you to walk ahead, leading you somewhere. Your heart was trying to leap from your chest, but you took deep breaths as you tried to keep a level head.

You could still smell the rot that revolved around Beta and it made your stomach churn. You were forced to walk behind Yumiko whose hands were moving. In the moonlight, you could make out some of the shapes and realized she was signing.

“Stay calm,” she was signing over and over again. You were very grateful then that you knew ASL well enough to understand her.

You walked for a bit longer before you reached a clearing and suddenly, you were seven years younger. You half expected for headlights to light up the surrounding area. Daryl and Michonne must have felt it too as they were tense as well.

However, this time, Negan would not be there to just kill two of you. Beta could slaughter all of you for no reason and then turn his sights on Kingdom, Alexandria, and then Hilltop and Oceanside. This was it, you thought, you were going to die.

The Whisperers pushed you into a semicircle, making sure your hands were still secured. You were between Daryl and Michonne and tried to focus on their breathing, but it was difficult. Even if they were thinking of an escape plan, nobody could voice it and nobody was coming to save you.

From the darkness, Alpha finally made herself known. She crept through the night like a predator stalking her prey. Expect, Alpha didn’t kill for food, she killed for sport.

“You ain’t getting her back,” Daryl said, facing down the Matron of the pack.

“You think this is about my daughter?” Alpha asked, tilting her head. “I ran into some trouble on the road,” she said, wiping blood from the knife in her hands on her pants. You struggled against your bonds, wanting to rip her eyes out with your nails. “It was unavoidable.”

“Bullshit,” you shot, but Alpha ignored you.

“Do you like my new camp?” she asked. “My people like to keep moving, keep roaming.”

“We’ve granted Lydia asylum,” you said. “You try to take her and we will fight back.”

“What is your name?” Alpha asked, stopping in front of you.

“...(Y/N),” you said.

“Do they speak for you?” Alpha asked the others.

“We speak for each other,” Daryl countered. Alpha sniffed, unaffected by Daryl’s attempt at camaraderie. Instead, she continued to pace in front of the five of you.

“My daughter isn’t a concern anymore. She was weak, she never lived up to expectations.”

“Was?” you asked as the worst-case scenario entered your mind. “What did you do to her!” Still, Alpha ignored you.

“To be clear,” she said, “your group is in no position to threaten me. That is a habit that needs to be broken.”

“Oh, I’ll break something,” you threatened and Alpha merely smiled at you as if you were some child she was humoring. Turning her attention back to Daryl she pointed at him.

“Come with me,” Alpha said. “Just you.” Beta cut Daryl’s bonds and then pushed him forward. You struggled to go after him, but you couldn’t move.

Daryl glanced back at you once more before following Alpha into the darkness of the trees.

-------

Daryl was gone for a while, and with every minute that ticked by, you grew more fearful that his body was somewhere being torn apart by the Dead.

You, Michonne, Carol, and Yumiko were sitting together by a fallen tree as you waited to be released. Beta was across from the four of you, watching the woods, waiting for his orders.

You began to think about Rick. What would he do right now? What would he say? You also began to think about the conversation you had once had with Negan about evil and humanity.

Alpha and Beta were evil and there was no doubt about it. Evil was around you and you could not find a shred of light to hold onto. Rick had wanted to build a new world, but if this is what it was going to look like, you didn’t want it.

“This is not how I’m dying,” you whispered.

“Nobody is going to die,” Michonne said. “I don’t think Alpha wants to kill us.”

“She said ‘no one else had to die’, meaning she already killed those Hilltop people and now she’s going to keep going. With us.”

“Just try to stay calm.”

“This is me calm. I’m calm and I’m pissed.”

“We’re going to get out of this,” Carol said who hadn’t taken her eyes off of Beta since she sat down.

“I left too much shit unfinished,” you admitted, unable to stop yourself.

“I know,” Michonne said and there was a bit of pity in the tone of her voice. “You know, I actually wish for his psycho ass right about now,” Michonne said and you couldn’t argue with that.

“Don’t we all,” you agreed.

“Who?” Carol asked and Michonne hesitated, but you just shrugged.

“Negan,” Michonne said.

“Who’s that?” Yumiko asked.

“Asshole who we have locked up back home,” said Michonne.

“You think he could take on Beta?” Carol asked, but you shook your head.

“I don’t think a bulldozer could take on Beta,” you said with a glare in the man’s direction.

“Negan would be a good distraction,” Michonne figured and then stopped speaking as she saw the look in your eyes. “Or not.” Carol looked at you in confusion.

You couldn’t imagine Negan going up against someone like Beta. Everyone you had seen him fight, he had been the bigger one. He had been the one in charge and the one with the edge. Negan fighting Beta would have been like a Mustang charging a Semi Truck. That was not something you wanted to see.

“Am I missing something?” Carol asked.

“No,” you and Michonne said at the same time. Carol narrowed her eyes but didn’t push it any further. Instead, you all sat there in silence as you waited for the fate you were sure you were about to meet.

You didn’t know how much time had passed when the sun began to rise again. Nobody spoke and nobody moved as the Whisperers began to disperse. Beta then gestured to you and your companions.

Slowly, his people approached and cut your bonds. Nobody dared to move as Beta watched over you. He then ordered his people to hand back your weapons.

“Go West,” he sneered. “You’ll find your man.”

“Come on,” Michonne said, moving Carol in front of her as Yumiko followed. You hesitated, glaring at Beta who leveled his knife at you in something that felt like a promise. Almost as if he was saying that the next time he saw you, he was going to kill you. In your mind, you made the same promise.

The sun rose quickly as you hiked through the woods, following Beta’s orders. “Something feels wrong,” you said as you fastened your sword to your side. Carol was holding Daryl’s bow and blades as you walked.

“We got out, that’s all that matters,” Michonne said, but you had a feeling something was very wrong.

It didn’t take long for you to find Daryl.

He seemed unharmed, but you could tell he was angry. Carol reached him first, handing him his bow and kissing him on the cheek. Michonne hugged him too and Yumiko clapped him on the shoulder. When he reached you, you hugged him tightly.

“I thought she was going to kill you,” you said.

“Nah, not yet,” he said and then nodded his head in another direction. “This way.”

You all followed Daryl who seemed to be on a mission. Whatever Alpha had told him had him set on a path and you were willing to go with him no matter what.

You walked until the sun was finally above you and then, Daryl picked up his speed. “Daryl?” you called, but he just kept running. Eventually, you saw what he was running towards. “Oh my god.”

“Siddiq!” Michonne yelled as she ran up the hill towards the Doctor who was leaning against a dead tree and behind him, was another.

“Enid!” you yelled as you saw her struggling as well. You slid to her side, using one of Daryl’s knife that he tossed to you to cut her bonds. As soon as she was free, she nearly crawled to you, gripping you tight. Enid was shaking and so was Siddiq who held onto Michonne. “Shh, it’s okay,” you assured her.

“What happened?” Michonne asked, but both of them could barely speak.

“I… I…,” Siddiq stuttered out as Enid pointed up the hill with tears in her eyes. Slowly, you pulled Enid into you and began the trek up the hill.

“No…” you whispered in horror as you saw what was ahead. It was too far to make out details, but the smell of fresh and Dead blood wafted towards you. Enid was trembling in your arms as tears fell down her face.

Nobody spoke as you crested the hill, but nobody needed to as you got closer. As soon as it became apparent what was before you, Yumiko fell to her knees and Michonne gasped in pain.

At the top of the hill were nine pikes and on each one, was the head of someone you knew.

You started at the beginning, your bones as cold as ice as milky white eyes stared at you. They hadn’t killed the brain and as you looked at the first pike, Ozzy, the Highway Man, was staring at you with vacant eyes and a gaping mouth. Next to him was Alek, and then, DJ.

Your heart sank as you saw who was next. Frankie, one of Negan’s former wives and a spitfire of a woman. Her red hair blew in the wind as blood and gore dripped from the flesh at the base of her severed neck.

Tammy was next and Enid cried harder as she saw the older woman. A woman you knew who had taken care of Enid at Hilltop. You struggled to keep the young woman upright, but it was difficult as you nearly collapsed when you saw the next two.

Rodney and Addy.

The teens that you knew from Hilltop were gasping with their breathless mouths as their gray skin dulled in the sunlight, but who was next made you crash to the ground.

“No!” you screamed as you saw Tara’s dark hair blowing in the wind.

Enid fell next to you as the woman who she saw as a sister stared at her with empty eyes. Sobs echoed out of you as you stared at her, but that wasn’t compared to Daryl who immediately began yelling.

“No, No!” he yelled as he ran for Carol “Just look at me, just look at me,” he said as he held onto his best friend. That’s when you finally looked at the final pike and everything around you broke.

It was Henry.

Enid was leaning all of her weight onto you just as Siddiq was doing to Michonne. Carol had fallen into Daryl and Yumiko was crying as she beheld the horror.

Alpha had done this. She had taken these people from you, but left two alive as witnesses. She had killed children, friends, leaders, and left you feeling empty.

You had been through so much, lost so much, and, yet this felt as if someone had torn your soul from your body. As the wind continued to blow, all you could hear were Enid’s screams and Carol’s sobs as yet another child was stolen from her.

---------

“We were there,” Siddiq began as he stood on the stage in The Kingdom.

You stood next to Daryl and Lydia was in front of you both as you listened. Enid was across from you in the protective arms of Alden who hadn’t let her go since you returned.

“Enid and I were taken with the others. And I saw... We were supposed to die with them and I was ready to.” Siddiq went on, speaking for both him and Enid considering she could barely say a word. Aaron was sure she was in shock.

Siddiq went on, “Then, Alpha whispered in our faces as she knelt before us, ‘Tell them’, she said… she then said that two sets of eyes were better than one. Then, something hit me, and everything went black.”

Lydia leaned back into you and you gripped her tight. You noticed that Daryl was holding onto the other side of her. You knew that you needed to protect her now more than ever.

“And when I woke up, it was just the two of us,” Siddiq said with a look to Enid who stared back with red-rimmed eyes. “What happened was evil. It was evil. And I think she left us alive to tell you that story. To scare you and to drive us all apart again. But I want to tell you a different story.” Siddiq then looked at you and you could see that he was struggling. You gave him a nod of encouragement.

“See,” he went on, “before the end... Ozzy, Alek, and DJ found us and they gave us an opening. And everyone fought back. They fought like hell. And what they did was more than brave. 'Cause they defended each other. And they sacrificed for each other... And some of them... they didn't even know each other, but they still fought like they did. Like they were family. 'Till the very end.”

Tears were flowing from his eyes and your own, but you tried to put on a brave face for him, for Enid.

“And in the end, they... Their time was cut short, but ours keeps going. So we have to keep going. For them and for all of us. We need to honor them. We need to honor them, and we need to remember these friends, our family, died as heroes. That's the story that I want to tell you. That's the story that I want us all to remember.”

In the quiet of the fair as Ezekiel and Carol cried in silence, you swore that you would remember and when it came down to it, you would avenge them.

—————

Once the pikes were taken care of and the tears stopped, for the time being, people began to move out.

However, as winter moved in, The Kingdom was no longer capable to house the members of the community. They would need to move and Michonne was going to stay to help them do that.

While you wanted nothing more to help, you needed to be somewhere else, with someone else. As you stood by the main building of The Kingdom’s square, Michonne approached you.

“There’s a storm coming,” she said quietly, her voice a bit hoarse from crying. You were sure that yours sounded the same.

“I know.”

“We need to move these people to Hilltop and Alexandria,” she said and you nodded in agreement. “(Y/N),” she said, “can you get her home, please?”

Turning to look at her, you were surprised to hear the desperation in her tone. “Michonne?” you asked.

“Please, get Judith home and protect her. Protect my daughter,” she said, once again on the verge of tears. You pulled her into your arms and clutched at your friend. You hadn’t been the closest with Michonne since she arrived at the gates of the prison, but you had a feeling that was about to change.

When you pulled back, you held her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I will,” you said. “I will protect her with my life.”

“They were brave,” Michonne whispered and you knew who she meant.

“Yes, they were,” you agreed. “And we will not let their deaths be in vain.” Michonne nodded, gripping your arms.

“Go to him,” she said.

“Michonne…”

“No, you listen to me,” she said as it was her turn to be serious. “I do not care what people think about him. Don’t worry about that. He could have lost you and as much as I have my demons when it comes to Negan, you have to go. Trust me when I say that Death does not discriminate when it comes to the man someone loves. Even if that man is...unconventional.”

“But…”

“No,” she cut you off. “Take Judith and go home. Stop overthinking it, (Y/N). You said you had left things unfinished, right?”

“Right.”

“Then, finish them.”

—————-

The ride to Alexandria was very different than the departure.

You rode on a horse alongside the carriage that held Gabriel, Aaron, Gracie, Judith, Eugene, and others. Nobody spoke and nobody relaxed until the comforting gates of Alexandria were in view.

For the kids’ sake you put on a brave face, but as soon as your horse came to a stop and the gates slid closed, you could barely keep it together. “Scott!” you called as you dismounted. He ran up to you as you helped Judith down from the makeshift carriage. “Take her,” you begged the man. He nodded as he gathered his bag. You then turned to Judith. “You need to go to your brother,” you said.

“What?” she asked.

“Go find RJ and give him the biggest hug he can handle, okay?” Judith nodded at your words.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Not for a while,” you admitted, and then she was wrapping her small arms around you and you let a tear slide down your cheek. “I’m going to come over later and we’ll have dinner, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered and with a final squeeze, you let her go as she ran after Scott who was waiting for her. Ignoring Aaron, Eugene, and the others, you turned your back on the stables and began to run.

You didn’t slow as you ran towards the main street. Your boots slid on the slick spots of ice that littered the ground, but you kept going. Stopping before the Grimes house, you searched your pockets for your key ring.

You couldn’t get your hands to stop shaking as you found the right one and jogged down the steps towards the jail. Slipping the key in the lock, you shoved the door open.

The loud noise alerted Negan to your presence. He was laying on his cot, but when he saw the tears that flowed down your cheeks and coated your collar, he launched to his feet.

“(Y/N)?” he asked, staring at you in shock. You kept moving, switching the key on the ring and inserting it into the lock of the cell itself. You wrenched it open and faced him, taking him all in. “What happened?” he asked, staring at you with concern.

You didn’t answer him right away. Instead, you took your time to memorize his face, the set of his jaw, how his shoulders were settled on his torso, and especially that wonderful light that was in his eyes. You choked back another sob as you moved into his space.

“(Y/N)?” Negan asked you again. Reaching up, you placed your hands on his face, feeling the warmth of life beneath his skin. With a deep breath, you got your voice back.

“Don’t make me lose you, too,” you whispered and then, you gripped him by the back of his neck and pulled his lips to yours.

Negan immediately wrapped his arms around you, holding you closer to him as he kissed you back without hesitation. It was as if a dam broke inside you as light burst behind your eyes. Negan kissed you tenderly, but it was full of urgency as well.

Pulling yourself tighter against him, you were worried that he would be pulled away at any moment. He didn’t seem to be ready to let go either as he lifted you up, tilting his head back to get a better angle.

Your tears dripped down onto his face, wetting the stubble on his jaw, but he didn’t care. Negan didn’t care about anything else at that moment. All he cared about was you in his arms as he finally got to show much you meant to him.

When you pulled back to get some air, he set you down. Negan looked at you in awe and while you knew you had to explain what had happened, there was something you had to say first. Something that you had felt for a long time.

“I love you, Negan,” you said, your voice soft as it mingled with his own breath. He looked in your eyes and you watched as the words resonated with him. His eyes grew softer and all the tension in his body dissolved. Negan reached up and placed his hand against your face.

“I love you, too,” he said and then pulled your lips back to his.

You clutched at the man in your arms, your new reason for living. You knew that war was finally coming and that Death was not done with any of you yet, but in that small cell, in the arms of the man you loved, you let it all become whispers on the wind as the first snowflakes began to fall.

TAGS:

@lucillethings @stark-dreams @amaroho @thanossexual

@yes-sir-hotchner @boom-bunny @delusionalteenagewhispers

@scootankle @ritajammer21 @writteriguess @tea-atfive @jennydehavilland @waspyyy @yespleasejayhalstead @fmunegan @hoemadegrace @writingdeadangel

@pulplorrd

#the walking dead #walkerwords #the savior sessions #twd imagines #negan imagines #negan imagine #negan x gn reader #negan x reader #angst #the walking dead fanfics #whisperers #canon divergence #twd #twd fanfiction #negan x you #negan x y/n

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lils-writes-stuff · 5 years ago

Text

Divining Rod

spencer reid x reader

Summary: The death of a serial killer rises another and the team must stop it.

warnings: normal criminal minds things,

A/N: based on season 7 episode 21

“A row house in Demount Circle wow,” Penelope said, astonished at the news Emily just gave.

“I can’t believe I’m doing it.” Emily shook her head in disbelief at the news also. “I mean, it’s probably not gonna work out anyway, right?”

“That’s what I said before I found out I got my apartment so, you probably will,” Y/N said, laughing at the end of her sentence.

“Well, there are five other sealed bids, and I offered way below what the owners are asking,” Emily spoke, standing up from her chair and began walking. JJ, Y/N, Penelope, and Spencer stood up and followed her.

“Uh-huh, sounds to me like someone’s hoping they don’t get it.” JJ’s voice was filled with sass as she side-eyed Emily.

“Orthophobia, fear of owning personal property,” Spencer said from in front of the four women. He was intently looking over the case file in his hands as they walked to the round table room.

“No- I don’t have a fear of owning stuff, turn me loose in a shoe store, I’ll prove that,” Emily defended herself. “My fear is owning personal property that weighs three hundred tons.”

“Actually, depending on materials used, square footage, and horizontal versus vertical construction, the average house only weighs sixty tons,” Spencer retorted, spewing off his knowledge without even a second thought.

“Well, thanks for that Reid, I feel light as a bird,” Emily said sarcastically.

“It’s okay Em, it took me months before I could even settle into my apartment because I couldn’t feel at home, it just takes time.” Truly Y/N felt uncomfortable because the last place she lived in by herself all her friends were tormented in, but Emily didn’t need to know or worry about that.

“What‘ve we got, baby girl?” Derek asked, breaking up the conversation to bring it to the case at hand.

“We have a killing in Enid, Oklahoma, and not the capital punishment one you are thinking of right now.” Penelope walked over to her chair and took a seat before she continued. “I’m talking about a woman named Cara Smith, who was murdered in her apartment minutes after the execution of Rodney Garret.”

“Neighbors saw her front door open and discovered the body,” Hotch added.

“Look Familiar?” Rossi asked directing everyone’s attention to the victim on the screen. Her appearance is the same as all of Garret’s victims.

“Young, pretty, short blonde hair,” JJ said, examining the photo.

“And stabbed directly through the heart.” Y/N brought her pen up in the air, showing that she realized what Rossi was saying.

“That’s exactly the way Garret killed his victims,” Spencer said as he remembered back to the Garret murders.

“So are we looking at a copycat?” Derek asked looking at those around the table.

“Or someone creating doubt the right person was executed,” JJ countered, looking at Derek next to her.

“In Garret’s case there was no doubt,” Rossi corrected. “His guilt was the slam dunk of all slam dunks. Prints, DNA, a confession…”

“He even led the police to where he buried two of his victims,” Spencer added to the list Rossi was creating.

“Garret killed 25 women before he was caught. If this new unsub is a copycat, the body count’s just getting started,” Emily said.

“Which is why we can’t waste time, wheels up in thirty.”

----------

“Firing squad? That’s new,” Y/N said after hearing Garret’s choice of execution.

“It’s definitely not something you see every day,” JJ agreed.

“Well, Garret had the option of lethal injection, but he chose this instead,” Derek responded.

“Flair for the dramatic,” Rossi stated.

“No kidding.” Y/N let out a breathy laugh with her words.

“Initial reports indicate no forensic evidence at the crime scene,” Hotch said looking at the file in his hand.

“What about the ice pick?” JJ asked.

“It was generic, no serial number or unique metallurgy,” Derek answered looking at the paper that gave more detail on the pick.

“Well, now, it says here-” Emily pointed to a page in her file- “that there were water droplets and a half-filled flower vase on top of the chest drawers, but no flowers. Not in the vase, not in the garbage, nowhere.”

“Maybe the unsub took them,” Y/N posed, looking up from her folder.

A pinging sound came from the laptop as Penelope popped up on the screen.

“Hey, say it like you mean it, baby,” Derek greeted her.

“You know I’m gonna,” she replied before giving what she found. “So if you look in the dictionary, the word ‘normal’-” she held her hands up to show quotation marks- “you will see Cara Smith. College student, well-liked, straight A’s, English lit major- oh speaking of which I just got a transcript of Rodney Garret’s last words, hot off the press and a gold star to the first person who can identify the source of this: ‘She comes like fullest moon on a happy night, taper of waist-”

“‘With shape of magic might,’ it’s from the Thousand and One Nights, not the exact translation I would have used, but it’s got its own merits,” Spencer finished the last of the poem.

“And in a shocking non-upset, we have a winner,” Emily said, hopefully stopping Spencer before he would go on a spew of insight of the story.

“Garret was a sixth-grade dropout, an unlikely guy to be quoting from a Harvard classic,” Rossi said.

“The choice of material does make sense though,” Spencer began. “The book is all about how a Scheherazade forestalled her own death at the hands of the king by regaling him night after night with stories.”

“In the end, he won him over right?” JJ asked.

“Yes, the king found a love for her and decided not to execute her,” Y/N answered, looking at JJ. “Although I wouldn’t say that would be a strategy that would work with the Oklahoma Department of corrections.”

“Another body’s been found half a mile from the first victim, same M.O.” Hotch had stepped away to answer the phone and was now relaying the information he was just given to the team.

“That's six hours later, this guy’s not wasting a lot of time,” Derek said.

“We land in twenty minutes, Reid, you and Y/N go to the latest crime scene, Rossi, you JJ and Prentiss go talk to Garret’s widow. Morgan and I will go to the prison.” Y/N saluted Hotch at his order. “If Garret’s got a disciple, we need to find out who he is and fast.”

----------------

“Such a beautiful day for such a terrible thing to happen.” Y/N’s eyes looked up to the sky, observing the blue of it and the bright sun. She wasn’t really thinking about the case until she walked up the steps, always trying to fit the last of the good in before she saw the bad.

“I don’t think serial killers stop because of the weather, sweets,” Spencer said, raising an eyebrow at the thought.

“Hey, what did I say about nicknames at crime scenes,” Y/N said turning to Spencer who was slightly behind her.

He laughed lightly. “Not to use them, because you’re afraid they’ll be ruined,” he answered her remark.

“Exactly.” She pulled her credentials out of her back pocket to show the officer at the door. Walking into the house, a tall man turned around to greet the two.

“Hey, I’m detective Childers,” the tall man said walking up to Y/N to shake her hand. “You must be with the FBI.”

“Yes, I’m Agent Y/L/N, and this is Dr.Reid.” Y/N pointed to her right to the lanky brunette.

“Hi,” Childers said, holding his hand out for Spencer to shake. Spencer offered the man a small wave, as usual, opting out of the handshake.

Y/N offered a smile to the detective in hopes of trying to make the awkward moment go away. “How about you show us the scene.” Y/N changed the subject.

“Yeah, why don’t y’all follow me back here,” Childers said as he led the two over to the bedroom. “It’s unbelievable this is happening all over again.”

“Who is she?” Spencer asked as they entered the bedroom.

“Jodie Armstrong, single, works a cosmetic counter at a department store downtown,” Childers answered.

The body laid in the exact position it was found. Duct tape still on the mouth and wrists, and the ice pick stabbed into her heart.

“Young, pretty, short blond hair,” Y/N said as she looked at the victim’s appearance. “That’s the same victimology as the others.” She turned her head to look at Spencer, who’s eyes had been wandering the room around them.

“Who discovered the body?” Spencer asked.

“Apartment manager. A neighbor called to complain that a teapot in the kitchen kept on whistling,” Childers explained.

“So he surprised her.” Y/N said, turning as she watched the struggle play out around her. She pictured the unsub pushing her down and tying her onto the bed.

The three separated as Childers went to go handle something out front and Spencer and Y/N stayed to look around the scene more. Y/N gloved her hands and squatted down next to the bed, looking closely at the victim’s head. Pushing her head to the side, she moved her hair to and fro as she examined the hair cut. She noticed it’s unevenness and well, basically, it was a shitty hair cut for such a pretty young girl to have.

“Hey, Spence, come look at this.” Spencer looked over at Y/N who was across the room from him.

“What is it?” He asked, setting down the CD he had been looking at to walk over.

“This girl is young and she obviously cares about her appearance, she’s fit, her nails are done,” she said, laying one finger on top of the other as the listed off the things she’s noticed. “But her hair, look at it, it’s uneven.” She picked up the phone that had headphones plugged into the jack and turned it on.

“Could it maybe be a fashion statement, you know, look bad on purpose?” Spencer asked looking next to him at Y/N.

She shook her head, looking through the phone in her hand. She began to look through some things in her photos before she found a selfie of Jodie and some of her friends. “Look at this,” she leaned over to show Spencer the photo.

With two of her fingers on the screen, she zoomed in on Jodie, who in the photo had very long blonde hair. “It was taken last night,” she said after pointing to the timestamp at the bottom corner of the photo. “The unsub cut her hair.”

--------------

In the station, the mood was serious. Two bulletin boards stood side by side with large maps placed on the. Spencer, Hotch, Y/N, and Derek sat in swivel chairs from desks in the area they were in. Behind them sat JJ, Emily, and Rossi, who were looking through letters that were sent to Rodney Garret’s home.

“This new guy’s hunting in a different neighborhood,” Childer’s spoke after looking at the map.

“He must be comfortable in the area, he knew the victims’ routines,” Derek stated.

“His method of ingress and egress is quiet and unnoticeable,” JJ said, leaning back in her chair.

“Get a load of this one,” Emily began as she turned in her chair with a letter. “Dear Mr. Garret: It took a lot of courage to do what you did. Most people are cowards and don’t do what they feel inside them. You are an inspiration, and I applaud you.”

When Emily had finished the letter, Y/N barked out a laugh. “I’m sorry for laughing but ‘I applaud you’?” She just shook her head, the letter being very funny to her in a weird way.

“These are supposed to be the non-wacko letters,” Rossi said.

Everyone raised their brows in question. A computer beeping signaling the arrival of Penelope’s on a screen got everyone’s attention.

“Hey guess what, Y/N’s genius has struck again,” Penelope began as she popped up on the screen. “The hunch about the hair was right, I’m sending you an ATM image of Cara Smith. She’s the first victim, this was taken ten hours before her murder check it out.”

At that, everyone’s attention was brought to a screen. The video showing Cara walking up to the machine with very long hair compared to what was left on her body.

“The unsub cut her hair too,” Childers said as he looked at the video.

“You know, there could be a sexual element involved. Trichophilia is a fetish where one becomes aroused by the removal of hair,” Spencer said.

“Yeah, but, either way, this is starting to look less like a copycat,” Y/N said looking next to her at Spencer.

“The unsub’s deviating too much from Garret’s M.O., Garret never took trophies,” Derek said in agreement.

“He’s also choosing low-risk victims, Garret’s stayed with high-risk target- prostitutes, runaways--” Spencer said but was cut off by JJ.

“Garret also got sloppy and left clues that eventually nailed him, this guy’s careful and meticulous,” JJ said.

“He’s not that careful,” Childers corrected. “He leaves doors open, teapots boiling.”

“I think it’s intentional. He wants the bodies found so we know when and where he’s killing,” Hotch said.

The room fell silent again, everyone getting back to their work. Little conversation was made, Emily or Rossi reading off an obscure letter or Y/N saying something about the geographical profile to Spencer. All conversation halted due to Childers getting a call that there was another body.

“Reid and Y/N, come with me to the scene.” Hotch stood up, Y/N and Spencer following his request out of the room and to the scene.

Walking into the house, Y/N took note of how it was kept and lived in by the victim. She did so in hopes of gathering something for victimology. After noticing she fell behind Hotch and Spencer, she quickly caught up to them as they entered the bedroom.

The blonde woman laid on her back, her arms duct-taped to the foot of the bed. Her eyes were closed, and she almost looked peaceful, but the ice pick in her heart told them otherwise.

Hotch squatted down to the bedside and examined the side of her head that was exposed.

“He shaved her head,” Hotch commented. Y/N and Spencer stood on either side of him, looking over the body from behind their unit chief.

“That’s even more humiliation and disrespect,” Y/N said. She turned her head sideways as she looked at the poor and almost frantic shaved spot.

“He didn’t do it to the other victims.” Hotch stood up as he spoke, looking at Childers who was on the other side of the bed.

“Detective when was the body discovered?” Y/N asked.

“Half hour ago, the killer left the front and back doors open,” Childers responded. “And there’s no indication of any contact on the wine glasses swabbed for DNA.” He gestured to the CSI unit that was brushing the wine glass behind him.

“Not even the victims?” Spencer asked. His face doing its normal twist as he thought.

“The unsub probably wiped it clean,” Y/N said. The upper half of her body turned to her left to look at Hotch and Spencer.

“Has anyone found an open or empty wine bottle in the house?” Hotch asked, turning back to the detective after looking at Y/N.

“We haven’t found one yet.” Childers shook his head.

“He probably took it with him, like the flowers of his first victim,” Spencer commented.

“He’s killed at six A.M., noon, and now six P.M.,” Hotch said, looking between Y/N and Spencer.

“That’s not a long cooling-off period.” Y/N spook with a sigh as she stuffed her hands in her pockets.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not feeling so good about the stroke of midnight.” Spencer’s eyes bounced between the three in front of him. All of them nodding their heads in agreement at the comment.

-------------

“We believe we’re looking for a white male between the ages of thirty and forty who is strong enough to subdue physically fit young women with minimum resistance,” Hotch said. The team stood in front of a crowd of local officers as they told the profile. Rossi and Emily had found out that the same man that wrote the letter Emily had read to them were some of Garret’s favorites. Taking that, they presumed that the man who wrote the letters was more than likely the unsub.

“He’s forensically sophisticated and evidence-conscious,” Derek added.

“He targets his victims in advance and leaves no trail.” Y/N stepped forward as she spoke, coming into line with Derek.

“This person is also confident.” Emily paused, then continued. “He’s been taunting us by revealing his crime scene quickly.”

“Because of his ability to plan and flawlessly execute his crimes, we’re looking for someone capable of holding down a job. Even though it’s probably menial and unfulfilling,” Rossi said. His hands stuffed into his pockets as his shoulder shrugged when he spoke.

“The victims have all been young, blonde, and pretty. As such, they reflect a certain societal standard of perfection that may actually represent the type of women that are unattainable to this unsub,” Spencer explained.

“He cuts his victims’ hair, and then he takes it with him, this could be another way for him to possess a part of them,” Y/N said, bouncing off of Spencer’s statement.

“Or to degrade these unattainable women, make them uglier,” JJ added on to Y/N’s words.

“The killer has been murdering in six-hour increments. He is, in effect, time-stamping his victims, there’s no reason to believe he will deviate from that now,” Rossi said.

“Which means the next kill will be at midnight.” Y/N emphasized her words as she spoke.

“The public needs to be alerted to stay off the streets for all non-essential activities,” JJ said. “Single women should not be in their homes alone,” she continued, her warning to the people relaying its importance.

“Every available officer will be out in full force tonight, we need to blanket this city,” Emily commanded. The officer’s around the room nodding that they understood.

“We do have one advantage,” Hotch began. “A killer who uses this kind of precise timing and specificity is easy to disrupt. We can use his own M.O. against him,” he explained. The officer’s around the room were then dismissed and went to get ready for the night out.

As the sunset fell over the city of Enid, the officers suited up and began to canvas the town. Emily and Derek joined them while the others stayed back and helped run point. While they waited, they had Penelope do some more digging into Garret to find out who the unsub might be.

“What you got, Garcia?” JJ asked as she answered the call from Penelope.

“I have found a thing of interest regarding these shanking attempts made on Garret in prison,” Penelope began.

“What is it?” Hotch asked, curious as to what she found.

“The timing, see, the first time Garret was attacked was May 25, 2008, the day before that, May 24, for those of you keeping score, Garret’s imminent execution date was postponed, right?” Penelope’s question was rhetorical so everyone stayed quiet as she continued.

“So then if you flash forward to the second shanking attempt of stabby-ness, that would be November 15, 2010. The day before that, his next execution date, also postponed.” When Penelope had finished her explanation everyone was basically one the same page of what was happening.

“Okay, so I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say someone decided to take matters into their own hands,” Y/N said. She crossed her arms across her chest and popped her hip to the side, the resting position she stood in when she thought.

“Thanks, Garcia,” JJ said, her finger hovering over the hang-up button on the computer.

“Ever welcome, my comrades.” JJ hung up the call and turned back to those behind her.

“Well, that sounds like what you would think of somebody on the outside wanting a little revenge,” Childers said, his head turning to Rossi and Hotch beside him.

“They wouldn’t wait five years, give it two tires, and then toss in the towel,” Rossi stated, his head shaking as he didn’t believe that theory.

“It sounds to me like someone just needed Rod Garret out of the way,” JJ said, adding in her own theory.

“But Garret was on death row, confined to his cell 23 hours a day. How was he in anybody’s way?” Hotch questioned, both theories not making sense now.

“Since we’re on the subject of things that don’t make sense, the unsub left the doors open after the murders,” Y/N said, bringing in a new topic in hopes of coming up with something new.

“Okay, that’s directed at law enforcement-- catch me if you can,” Rossi responded to Y/N’s thought.

“But the cutting of the hair,” Y/N said her voice trailing off in question.

“That’s for Garret,” Hotch finished, knowing what Y/N was thinking now.

Rossi nodded agreeing with Y/N.

“Well, what makes you think that?” Childers asked her.

“Well, Garret chose victims who were easy prey-- drug addicts and prostitutes. But this unsub has chosen more difficult targets but gone to the trouble of making them look like Garret’s victims,” Hotch answered, turning to Childers.

“That’s his way of telling Garret, ‘I can do better than you’,” Rossi elaborated.

“Okay, but why wait until after the execution to start killing? If the unsub really wanted to thumb his nose at Garret, wouldn’t he want him to be alive to see it?” JJ asked, not fully understanding this theory.

“Exactly, that’s the part that doesn’t make sense.” Y/N pointed as she spoke.

“Them we’re missing something,” Hotch said.

-------------

When the sun rose, the team had been at the station all night. In the early morning hours, another victim was found with a different M.O., stab wounds. Since the unsub could not kill his victim properly, this led them to believe that the killer could go on a spree. The unsub also removed her scalp this time, taking away most of her hair.

The clock on the table flipped to 9:44 A.M., and Y/N’s eyes were heavy. She laid on a bench, her head resting on Spencer’s thigh. His hand rested on his arm that was propped on the railing of the bench. The two sat peacefully, Y/N was not totally asleep, but her mind was in and out of full consciousness from the long night. She wasn’t totally sure if Spencer was asleep either, his body not moving which she was grateful for. His warmth was what kept her so at peace, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to stay like that for long.

“I never could do that,” Rossi stated as he looked at Y/N and Spencer who had their eyes closed.

“Do what?” Emily asked, her eyes following Rossi’s over to the sleepy couple. She let out a small ‘awe’ as she noticed the two.

“Take a nap, it never felt natural,” Rossi answered, not appreciating the cute moment.

“I’m actually wide awake,” Spencer said, sitting up from his position. His movement stirred Y/N as she moved to get comfortable again, but never opening her eyes.

“But for future reference, polyphasic sleep is completely natural. Quite common in the animal world, and highly beneficial.” His eyes panned to Y/N who was still, he believed, asleep on his lap. “However, I believe Y/N is very much taking a real nap.”

“Shhhh.” Y/N reached one of her hands to her lips sleepily, placing her index finger on her lips. She sighed after a second and sat up, realizing she was now fully awake and there was no going back to whatever state of sleep she was in before. “Okay, I give I’m awake.”

“All right, six o’clock’s way come and gone, if our guys killed again, he’s not leaving the front door open,” JJ said after looking at the clock.

“Or he could just be taking a breather,” Derek posed the counter. “I mean, even the unsub has to realize he can’t keep up this pace indefinitely.”

“Maybe the last murder completed some sort of cycle,” Rossi said, saying his thoughts aloud.

“What do you mean?” Y/N asked, leaning her forearms on her thighs.

“A day and a night have passed, the sun rises for the first time in a world without Rod Garret,” Rossi answered, his hands moving as he spoke.

“There could also be a more mundane reason, our guys got a job, and yesterday was his day off,” Emily said.

“He killed his first three victims in their homes-” Hotch pointed to the markers on the map where the homes were- “But the last victims, Emily Sisk, he tried to but he couldn’t. SO he abducted her, took her somewhere else, and then brought her all the way back to dump her body in front of her apartment building.” Hotch’s voice got slightly aggressive as he spoke, irritated as to why he didn’t know how that happened.

“That’s incredibly risky considering all the increased police presence,” Y/N said, agreeing with Hotch.

“There’s gotta be a geographic component to the unsub’s design,” Hotch said turning back to the map on the board.

“Let’s connect the dots, literally.” Spencer stood up from his seat next to Y/N and walked to the board. He pulled a red marker out of his pocket and drew lines to connect all four homes.

The lines formed an upside-down arrow almost.

“A tip of a spear,” Emily guessed, turning this into a game of Pictionary.

Y/N walked up to the board to get a closer look at the design. Her head cocked to the side as she thought.

“Maybe it’s an arrow pointing south? Could he be steering us to his next victim?” Derek asked as he pointed to the bottom of the arrow.

“It’s a quadrilateral, but there’s nothing particularly symbolic about a four-sided concave polygon,” Spencer said, pointing out the math of the shape.

“Spence, can I?” Y/N said reaching for the marker in his hand. Spencer nodded, handing her the red marker. “Look what happens when you curve the lines.” She drew curves over the lines the Spencer drew, forming something in the shape of a heart.

“A heart,” Emily said, eyes trained on the drawing.

“Well, Garret and the unsub both killed their victims using stab wounds through the heart,” Derek said.

“And Garret was executed by a shot through the heart,” Rossi continued the theory.

Hotch then moved the clear map of all the roads and homes over the heart drawing on the board. In the center of the heart sat the home of Rod Garret’s wife, Helen Garret.

“Helen Garret,” Emily realized as Hotch put the map on top of the other.

“It’s all about her,” Hotch said, confirming the speculation Emily made.

-------------

After JJ, Rossi, and Hotch established that Helen was probably at the prison since she was not home, the rest of the team made their way there. When the others met up with them, all of them in their kevlar’s ready to take action, they met outside the gates of the prison to talk.

“So nobody saw what happened, but Helen’s car is still in the parking lot,” JJ said walking up to the group with Rossi and the warden.

“He’s got her,” Hotch said.

“The driver’s name is Dylan Kohler, he lives at 4488 Harmony Court,” the Warden said identifying the unsub.

“Did he work yesterday, Warden?” Y/N asked.

“No, he arranged for someone else to take his shift,” the Warden answered.

“I’ll have Garcia check into Kohler, but now that he’s tipped his hand, I doubt if he’s going back home,” Rossi stated, pulling out his phone to call Penelope.

“All right, Morgan, take Reid, Y/N, and Prentiss to the house of Kohler, see if they’re there just in case.” Derek nodded, then gestured for the three to follow him to a car to go to the home.

When they arrived at the home of Dylan Kohler, there was no sign of him or Helen. They headed out of the house to go back to the prison.

“Yeah, Hotch, they’re not here,” Derek said to Hotch when he answered the phone.

“Where the hell could they be?” Y/N asked looking to Spencer next to her as she holstered her gun. He shrugged his shoulders, opening the door for Y/N. She climbed in hoping to the seat on the left and Spencer sitting on the one on the right.

------------

After finding Garret’s secret hideout, the team wrapped up the case, saving Helen Garret and were now on their way home. Y/N sat in the seat across from Spencer, eyes glancing at him every once and a while as he read. His finger trailing down the page, his steady breathing, and the curve of his nose entranced her as she looked at him.

She was sleepy, there was no doubt about it. Yet, her eyes couldn’t close as she looked at him, too caught up in his domestic feel to let it be intruded on by sleep that she desperately needed.

Tell him, the voice in her head whispered. Tell him how much you love him.

She couldn’t, at least not yet. Not until she knew that Caroline was out of sight, or if he said it first. But something in her told her that he knew she loved him. Simple acts like saying you need sleep or hold my hand was ways she was able to say she loved and cared for him without having to voice it.

Y/N’s thoughts were interrupted though by the beeping of a computer from behind her in.

“Oh, hey, guys, hey,” Penelope said with a sleepy voice. Y/N turned in her chair to listen to the conversation. “I just wanted to see what was going on.”

“This better be important, Garcia,” Emily said irritated as she was woken from her slumber.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Penelope was playing it off, the excitement in her voice giving it away. “It’s just that a messenger came by the office today with some papers from Escrow!” Her voice was sing-song at the end.

Emily’s face became very surprised. “No!” She said, astonished and not believing the blonde on the screen.

“Oh, yes, the house in Dupont Circle-- you got it! Whoo!” Penelope was throwing confetti at the screen in excitement.

“Oh my God, Em, that’s so exciting!” Y/N said happily as she sat on her knees in her chair to face Emily.

“Congratulations,” Hotch said with a smile.

Then, Emily’s face fell and she looked like she was going to be sick. Y/N and Spencer stood up to sit on the couch so they could be closer to the conversation.

“Six seconds, fastest case of buyers remorse ever,” Rossi said, looking down at his watch then at Emily.

“Well, I say the moment we land, we all head over to Ziggy’s and clear out the champaign inventory,” Derek said sitting next to JJ.

“And talk Prentiss down off the ledge,” JJ chuckled as she looked at Emily’s horrified face.

“Oh, my stomach doesn’t feel so hot.” Emily clutched her stomach.

They all let out a small laugh at Emily’s reaction.

“I was in the middle of the best dream,” JJ said changing the topic. “I dreamt that I was at this exclusive salon getting my hair done.”

The toll from the event of the last two days pressing themselves on her dreams. The thought of having a wig made of human scalp and hair placed on her head made Y/N shudder at the thought when she was told.

“Ah, the psychotherapeutic benefits of dreams-- purging unpleasant images and replacing them with good ones,” Spencer said, giving insight on to why we dream things like that.

“Yeah, ‘unpleasant’ is putting it mildly, bub,” Y/N said looking at Spencer next to her.

“If someone put a bloody wig on my head, I would have ripped that thing off and kept it off.” JJ thought back to how Helen let the wig sit on her head when they found her.

“Well, you’d think instinct would take over,” Derek said agreeing with JJ.

“Oh, hey, Rossi, I meant to ask you, what did Helen mean at the end when she said ‘daddy was right’?” JJ asked turning to look at Rossi across from her.

Rossi let out an annoyed sigh. “He once told her that she was a divining rod for the evil in men. That she could sniff it out when nobody else could.”

“There was definitely something a little strange about her,” Emily said as she recalled the time she and Rossi had to speak with her.

“It’s curious, one woman at the center of two serial killers.” Hotch’s voice was low as he voiced his thought.

“Yeah, what are the odds of that?” Y/N said, her question being rhetorical but she knew Spencer would answer.

“Astronomical.”

Ah, there’s the answer, Y/N thought.

“Removing from the calculations serial killer groupies--” Spencer was cut off by Hotch lightly hitting her arm to have him stop.

“Y/N, why’d you ask?” JJ laughed. Y/N just shrugged, knowing she’d get the answer she kinda wanted to hear later.

“You know, whether she knew it or not, maybe Helen Garret did give Dylan something,” Derek said as he thought more into it. “I mean someone once said that every seed, even malignant ones, they won’t grow unless they get water from someplace.”

-------------

That night, after going out to celebrate Emily’s new house, Y/N walked into her home. Stumbling as her lips were connected to Spencer's. The impromptu makeout session starting at the door when Spencer started to say goodnight, but Y/N had a little too much champaign and really wanted a good ‘ole fashion junior-high makeout session.

She pushed him back to her couch, the two giggling like thirteen-year-olds as they kissed. She straddled his lap as they continued to kiss. It was childish and full of smiles and teeth as they giggled. Still, the kiss was full of love and tenderness as Spencer would caress the side of her face with his large hands. Or when she would grab the front of his sweater to pull him closer to her.

“I really need to go home,” Spencer said. His lips brushing against Y/N’s as he spoke.

She didn’t listen and kept placing pecks on his lips before she let their lips mold together in bliss.

“No,” she protested quietly as she pulled away, then went back to his lips.

He chuckled, trying to pull back again to speak, but her lips chased his. “I’m not taking advantage of you, sweets,” he said gentlemanly.

She sighed, knowing that she was slightly drunk and he wasn’t going to keep going since she was. “Fine, but you owe me.” She poked his chest with every word. “Always a gentleman, even when I’m horny, but it’s fine.” Her words were a slur of mutters under her breath, but he heard her and laughed.

“Always.” He pecked her lips one more time as she stood up and led him to the door.

Once Spencer had given her one more kiss goodnight, promising her a coffee in the morning at work, she closed the door and turned to the inside of her apartment. A sigh of relief leaving her as she stepped further into her safe environment. She took her boots off and placed them by the door and moved her keys she dropped on the floor in the bowl on the table. She began to walk to her kitchen but stopped when her eyes caught glimpse of a letter.

She hastily pulled the wax seal back to open it, but became confused as she looked at the note.

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

She laughed, it was a pathetic line to spook her that wouldn’t work. She put the note back in the envelope and placed it with others.

She thought nothing of it. She didn’t think she would need too, but everything Caroline did had meaning. This too would show it’s meaning soon.

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added!!):

@throughparisallthroughrome @word-scribbless @nintendumbfuck @confused-and-really-hungry @justine-en @andiebeaword @itsarayofsunshine @baby-i-am-fireproof @abitofeverythinggg @nanocoool @marceline-is-my-spirit-animal @fancyfaucet @im-a-raging-gay @atletino @mo-whore @peterparkersdestiny @bandsandjill @mbowles23-blog @sarcasm-n-insomnia @citrussirus @nerual222 @april-14-blog @reidloversisforever @heavenlyholland

#spencer reid imagine #spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid series #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds meme #aaron hotchner #aaron hotch hotchner #derek morgan #derek morgan imagine #Matthew Gray Gubler #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid fanfiction #criminal mids fic #Penelope Garcia #emily prentiss #jj #jennifer jareau

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bard-llama · 3 years ago

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Second Chances (Time Travel AU)

Okay, I’ve slept about 4 hours, so hopefully this is coherent, but I created a new fic universe yesterday and I’m a little obsessed.

This was inspired by @fantom-flower‘s endeavor to engage, specifically the part where Iorveth sleeps with twink!Roche and talks about taking Roche with him when he leaves. I wanted to figure out how he really COULD bring Roche with him and, because I’m me, I created a whole complex universe to do it lmao

(under a cut, ‘cause it’s long)

So, the premise is that Iorveth is killed by Roche around the time of Witcher 2 (i.e. 1270s), and he is PISSED about it, but also kinda resigned, ‘cause he’s always known Roche would be his death. But something about the death also REALLY makes Iorveth pissed at Foltest and the way that Roche is so devoted to such a shit man. But he’s dying, so what can he do?

Except, instead of things coming to an end, he wakes up somewhere with a genial-looking (presumed) human in front of him who offers him a second chance. Gaunter offers Iorveth the options to go back in time to any point in his life and start over. Iorveth doesn’t wholly believe this is happening, but hey, wtf, why not take it seriously? He knows he should go back to before humans arrive and maybe find a way to keep elves from ever falling from power. But when he thinks back on his own life during that time, all he really remembers is the pain and loneliness he felt - the result of a family who didn’t want him. He tried to fill the pain with the adoration of audiences as he performed flamboyantly, but it all feels superficial in his memory and he doesn’t want to go back to then.

So when he thinks about when else he could go, he thinks of the way Roche killed him, of the way he resented that an incredible opponent like Roche was such a tool in the hands of a man like Foltest. So then he has an idea: what if he steals Roche before Foltest turns him into that man?

Gaunter seals the deal with the promise of payment being “something you don’t have, but will once more”, which Iorveth is like wtf does that mean? But like, whatever, it’s a good deal.

Iorveth wakes up and thinks he’s had a wild fucking dream - until he realizes that he has both of his eyes again. As he freaks out over that, he comes to realize that he has woken up in a time before the Scoia’tael and before the Vrihedd Brigade. Before the Nilfgaardian wars in general, actually. He has woken up 23 years in the past, in 1247, in a world where the elves that haven’t assimilated into human societies are refugees living in the Blue Mountains. Isengrim runs a sort of proto-Scoia’tael movement that Iorveth is a young officer in. At this point in his life, he’s been fighting humans for about 200 years (the sacking of Loc Muinne triggered his enlistment in Aelirenn’s uprising in the 1060s). He and Isengrim aren’t actually friends yet - Isengrim barely knows who this nobody kid is. But when Iorveth comes to him and proposes that, since they can’t hide in the mountains forever, why don’t they bring the fight to humanity? Whether that looks like an actual fight or a diplomatic negotiation, Iorveth doesn’t actually care, but Isengrim consults with civilian leaders like Filavandrel and Enid an Gleanna/Francesca Findabair and they decide it’s worth it to make diplomatic overtures. And since Iorveth is really insistent that he needs to go to Temeria (in fairness, he was born in the forests that I’m calling the Gleanne forests that his Scoia’tael are later based in), they start there. Maybe King Medell is a little more sympathetic to elves than the other northern kings or maybe they’re just like “wtf gotta start somewhere”, but either way, Isengrim brings a small unit to Vizima.

While Isengrim and Toruviel negotiate (or try to?) with King Medell, Iorveth goes looking for Roche. He doesn’t know where to look at first, but figures that hanging around the palace hoping to find Roche with Prince Foltest would be a bad idea, so instead, he searches the city. He vaguelly recalls intel that Roche in the future often visits a brothel in the shit part of town, so he starts there. He goes from brothel to brothel, hanging out in the taverny area on the first floor and watching the Johns. At first, he’s unsuccessful and starting to get frustrated, but then he happens to come down the list to the Clarabelle brothel. He’s watching the Johns as he sips an ale, searching for Roche - only to have one of the workers come up and start flirting with him. I think maybe it takes him a little bit to recognize Roche - after all, he’s only known the man as a 43yo soldier and the twink before him is very much NOT that. (is it still a twink when they’re hairy? ‘cause my Roche def has body hair). But when Roche propositions him, he decides hey, why not? After all, if he wants to convert Roche to his side, he’s going to need to spend time with him. And if that time happens to involve paying for sex? Well, that was just a side bonus. It’s not as if any part of him has wondered what Roche would be like in bed before. Not at all.

So while the elven unit is hanging around Vizima and while Iorveth slowly gets to know this Roche (who might not have even chosen the name Roche yet. Haven’t decided), Iorveth deals with the consequences of having the memory of being an old warrior with one eye while his actual body is very much not that. There are some weird things people notice - he shoots with his left hand now, closing his right eye to aim. He knows moves that they’ve never seen before. But his body doesn’t know how to do those moves and he has to retrain and figure out how to fight as he is now. His memories are both a help and a hindrance and he trains with Isengrim and Toruviel and a few OCs and pooossibly Filavandrel is there too, but as a diplomat, not as a fighter.

I don’t quite know how the negotiations with King Medell go or exactly what the journey of elves claiming equality looks like, but ultimately, Iorveth manages to convert Roche to his side (and no, he hasn’t fallen in love along the way. Not at all) and this actually changes quite a number of things, especially combined with all the other changes from the past Iorveth remembers. Elves are more successful in gaining equal rights throughout the north due to these changes and Iorveth and Roche get together properly and maybe go back to the Blue Mountains with the other elves (who uh... very much question Iorveth going for a fucking human whore who also happens to be a “playmate” of the prince and princess of Temeria). All seems hunky dory and Iorveth really thinks that he’s done it - he’s made his second chance count and the world is better than his old one was. And he still has both eyes and is still beautiful and maybe even finds more time to play music now.

So then, of course, payment time comes due. Because the Witcher world is pain, Gaunter comes to collect - and Iorveth loses his eye once more. This, of course, leads to a lot of mixed feelings and grief from Iorveth, who now thinks that he’s ruined again, disfigured and ugly and in this world, he doesn’t even have the saving grace of being a Scoia’tael leader. He thinks that no one can love him now and goes into a serious depression spiral that does not help his recovery At All.

Fortunately, Roche is in love with him and he’s built a family of elves around him and they aren’t the Scoia’tael he’d had before, but they’re still family, his new family, and it takes time, but Iorveth does eventually recover and come to see his own worth.

Open questions I still need to figure out:

Does Isengrim have his scar already? Or did that come later?

How does Iorveth manage to convince Isengrim to go to Temeria?

Does Iorveth tell anyone the truth about his second chance?

What makes King Medell decide to actually negotiate with elves? Considering his son is fanatically anti-elf, I feel like maybe someone else in his life needs to be pro-elf and helps convince him to give it a try. Possibly his wife Sancia of Sodden and/or his daughter Adda of Temeria (not to be confused with Adda the White, her daughter).

Should Eliza (Roche’s mama) run the Clarabelle already? They’ve been in Vizima for about 10ish years, so I could go either way. If she’s not running it, who is the madame?

What is Foltest and Roche’s relationship? They’re definitely not as close as they are later in life. For one thing, Roche I think has maybe either not been through military training or has only just started. This is because right now, he’s basically a glorified “playmate”/companion for Foltest and Adda. It’s not until Foltest becomes King that he becomes more than that - but that won’t happen in this world.

Should I include Brigida? In my hc, Roche meets Foltest/comes into royal service by accident when he’s about 15. He and Brigida go on a date to a royal parade - notable because the royals are ACTUALLY coming through the shit part of town. Roche happens to notice an assassin and tackles them, thereby saving Foltest and Adda’s life. King Medell decides this peasant has potential, so he makes Roche into his children’s playmate.

I’m really excited for this AU! I’ve skipped ahead and started writing Iorveth waking up in the past, so I still need to go back and write his death and deal with Gaunter, but I’ll get there. This is gonna be a BIG fic, I think, so I’ll have time lol

That said, how tf did I get here from “I want a world where Iorveth DOES take the pretty whore he slept with with him when he leaves”???

#rorveth #iorveth x roche #time travel #second chances #the witcher #fic planning

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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

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Animation Reviews: OK KO: Red Action 3: Grudgement Day

Whelp I said i’d do all three in one day and I MEANT IT. And I may do it again just to stay on schedule in the future, but for now i’m just proud and exausted to have gotten this done. And after a rather “eh it has some things but it’s mostly just there” episode” we’ve come to our last episode and my personal faviorite, Red Action 3: Grudgment day. Also as a quick note I forgot red was actually a major part of “I hope this thing flies” back in my first review, but I probably would’ve left it out as while the plot is her racing with Rad, it’s entirely a rad episode, and like plaza prom which I had to realize wasn’t important, isn’t really necessary. One last where we are in the series thing. We’re in season 3 and as I mentioned last time, RIGHT before the final episodes and one episode before the three part final arc and unrelated but beautiful epilogue that closes out the series. I didn’t go into my throughts on season 2 but it was good, the ending was just a really sloppy end to an otherwise good arc that i’ll get to. Season 3 is somehow even better, using it’s shorter run time to tie up loose ends and character arcs left and right and , after trying all series to do it, crossing over with Sonic the hedgehog, another thing for another time, and the final episodes, both the wrap up to the story arc “Let’s fight ot the end” and the wonderful where are they now epilouge “Thank you for watching the show”, are absolutley amazing and how you end a show.. and thankfully endings of this calibur became the trend this year given that same year star vs ended terribly and the bad taste is still in my mouth over that one but that’s a story for another bunch of reviews. The point is as I said the crew used the time wisely and wrapped up most ongoing character and story arcs that needed resolution. And given they spent two episodes on it the team decided to pull the pin on red and enid getting together, and solve one dangling issue the fans likely had all in one go. IT’s grudgment day under the cut.

We open with Rad and Red arguging and KO looking at them in a way that just screams:”Third mom, Rad, please stop fighting” Enid comes in and wonders why one of her two best friends and her girlfriend are fighting. She dosen’t use the term but given the kiss at the end of the episode, more on that when we get to it, the general way Enid acts about this and the way Red acts around her this ep.. their a couple at this point. I do wish they had an episode of them becoming offical, adressing Enid and Elodie.. bucnhes of other things but I concede that the crew was blindsighted by having a smaller season and had they you know NOT BEEN CANCELED FOR NO GOOD GOODAMN RESAON, we might have gotten more renid and more stories and a full on steven universe crossover with both sides. But I digress.. CN’s managment is terrible right now... but that’s not the reason for this article so we’re moving on. Anyways Enid wants to know why their so pissy when she arrives, and Red .. is in the right this time. Showing her growth while she still got heated with rad.

Rad did at least start it, as she simply came in to take enid jelly surfing and was kind enough to ask him to come along.. and KO implictly given he’s there and their buds now and all that. But when rad insults her again she quits the explaning and goes right back to arguing with him while Enid and KO look on awkwardly. Then Red decides to go into a mocking impression of rad, which is not NEARLY as mean as it could’ve been given the guy has canocially, had a super virus get worse because he refused to get rest something the villian that gave it to him was COUNTING on as part of his evil scheme, was left on the floor in pain over his cocoa being too hot, and once confused his 6-11 year old friend for a doppleganger despite having GIVEN said friend his nametag, though to be fair red’s own best friend also thought he was rad and gave him her number, so everyone was kind of dumb that day but still, the point is she has a LOT of ammo. In contrast Rad STARTS light saying she says words like Cowabunga (she only does once at the end of this ep and has not at any time).. before saying Enid deserves someone better and flinging her surfboard... which Crinkly Wrinkly jumps on and crashes into a wall because of course he does. Anyways Enid is offended at this and reveals rad’s been acting like a raving dickhead to Red anytime she shows up, which were this season 1 would be on brand but after 3 seasons of becoming a better person and an episode earlier this season where he rejected his dudebro friends once and for all, who by the way: Beefer and Mega Football Baby are the worst and I hate them and i’m greatful that their final apperance is rad realizing what a bad influence they’ve been and telling their asses off for their toxic masculinity. But I will however give OK KO credit as their SUPPOSED to be obnoxious, and the crew still dialed back hteir apperances to almost nothing when they realized it went horribly right, versus Rusty whose still mildly to massively annoying, but has yet to be fixed or removed from LIncoln’s crew, despite the show having a good track record for taking problematic characters and fixing them. And i’ve gotten entirely offf topic because all three of them piss me off so much, so let’s move on. Where were we.. ah yes, since Rad being a dickhead this consisently is now an exception not the rule, Enid rightfully demands to know why and Rad.. makes up two very petty, weak and obviously pulled out of his butt to try and cover the real reason up reasons for his actions: Red didn’t follow him back on Social Media, which is both a website and what the website is in this universe apparently which Is brilliant, and that she took the last bit of cake at prom... you know after he realized he was screwing it up and fixed it all with a homoerotic dance fight. Plaza Prom is amazing. When pressed because Rad fired his stupid friends, Rad hastily challenges red to a power battle, which I haven’t had to cover yet: Basically a hero can challenge another hero to a fight, usually for respect, to settle a grudge or who took the last bagle, and it’s a socially accepted thing called a power batttle. Really given it seems like KO’s world has not had a hero civil war, and the one time we’ve seen heroes on heroes outside of these things has been when POINT was acting shady as fuck and thus needed to be stopped, it seems like a resonable mesure, especially since most heroes just.. shrug off damage from battles and stuff after a bit. Unable to convince her girlfriend not to punch her best friend in the face, however much he deserves it, Red gives enid her belt with her time capusles inside, so they don’t go off mid fight and gives her an air kiss. Awww. Enid bemoans the fact this is happening for such dumb reasons when KO relaizes they can just use the belt to fix what once went wrong and end this petty fight before rad dies. First stop, the Bodega a few months ago, which KO proves both by the fact they have mean beans, which theys topped selling months ago and is one of the single best refrences this show did and it’s done a LOT, and the social media feed being from months and months ago, with Beefer bragging elodie beat him up. Ewwwwww.... I don’t wnat to kjnow what he’s into. Gah gotta scrub my brain. ONe brain scrub later Rad needs only one more follower to 100. I hear when you get 100 this happens.

youtube

Rad asks for a follow for follow from Red, who says she dosen’t have her phone. Enid is sure she’s lying, which she is, and follows Rad for her. Also I love rad’s file photo

Seriously they use this any time they need a picture of him. It’s one of the series best runners and is only topped by homer simpsons various terrible ones and this gravity falls masterpiece as being the best stock photo used for a character.

I will use this any time I have an excuse to and I have no shame about that. Anyways they go back but

As things have only gotten more heated at the power battle, so they try the prom to see if that’ll help. Cue PROM. Seriously why they never did a second Plaza Prom episode is really beyond me. Lot of potetinal with that concept.. plus I like episodes that put tons of cast, main and supporting, in one event together, ever since venture bros. It’s always a fun time. Anyways, Enid wants to stop a paradox but KO has already interacted with his past self.. which is the KO enid’s talking to and a great gag. So the two seeing Rad and Red both about to go for the cake decide to pull a destraction: Enid goes over and talks to Red to hold her off and get the cake to rad, while KO does what any sane person would do: Jumps onto Rad’s face while yelling rad I love you, and Rad is clearly more annoyed he’s on his face and this has very obviously happened before. .... I miss this show. Anyway after giving the explination that she’s a shadow clone to explain why her past self is still up there DJing, she offers to dance and the two have a good cute time until enid gets the cake into rad’s mouth and bolts.. and now we get the thing I hinted at earlier. Red talks to the other Alley Teens about it, and notes that while she dosen’t know Enid she kinda likes her.. then backpedals as the teens make faces but are clearly not fooled by they all look really creepy especially Gregg.

WHelp I have ny nightamres for tonight. But yeah this is implied to be what got Red to ask her out in the first place. Time travel is weird and inconsietent. This does give me a chance to adress the fact that the alley teens.. sorta stopped beiing a thing eventually. I mean their stillf riends as of the season 2 openoer but red and drupe show up for their own eps or supportingroles while Gregg just kinda vanishes, poor person. That being said given this interaction and how close they were I DO think their still friends; I mean gregg and drupe was confirmed by the flash forward as they visit rad’s cafe, but Red would still be their friend, they just all likely have more stuff to do as they grow older: by the end of season 2 Drupe has a buisness and gregg is probably in college. But I expect Drupe would be Red’s best woman at her wedding. I mean gregg would probably be her best person but still. Anyways they return to the present again and.

Yeah that. Their now battling in cars and Enid decides to cut the bullshit and just ask Rad why he’s pissed at Red, asking Red to pause the fight, which she agrees to. KO and Enid throw rad int he back of his van tied up and ask him to be honest about why he’s so pissed off. After some dithering he says he lo.. lo.. and instead of saying he loves enid, thank god i’m so sick of love triangles, may they die in a fire, like the episode hinted at it’s a swerve. and unlike a vince russo swerve which ends in A “Buff Bagwell’s mother on a forklift match”.. no really

This is actually a great one: Rad’s fully moved on and I like that, evne if the finale does leave it vauge if those bodegamen at the end are theirs or not, given Rad’s her best friend by the end and she and red would need a surrogate, it’s not a huge stretch to say Rad sperm donored for them and is still a beloved uncle and figure in their lives. Anyways the point is Rad’s real beef is.. suprisingly sweet. Turns out Rad’s still pissed at the whole “Teens humilating, burning and spanking” ko thing and Red posting it online. Which is likely to adress the fact they.. never adressed that and was a good call and a good way to show rad’s growth: he’s not jealous , he’s not mad she’s taking up enid’s time, he’s mad that his best friend is dating someone who beat up his other best friend for just trying to help them then put it online for a cruel laugh. Granted Drupe did the same thing and he not only danced with her but is on good terms with her to this day, but odds are given they see her more and she’s in fact the designer for their mission outfits in season 3, she probably apologized off screen while Red figured KO forgiving her was good enough and just wanted to forget it, running away from things as usual. IT speaks to the diffrence in their personality: Red runs hot is stubborn and takes time to admit she’s wrong, Drupe is very chill and as the series goes on very nice, and probably wanted to get it out of the way asap given she frequents the bodega more often, either in the background or foreground. Anyways after KO reveals he actually enjoys the video as a treasured memory of when he first met the alley teens, disturbing his friends, seriously this kid needed to remerge with his edgelord side yikes, Enid gives rad a headpat and kudos for being normal and Enid decides to take all of them to go fix this. Back in the past we’re back at the bullying and before past red can post, present red explains she should stop and after clarfying this isn’t an end of the world situation, not an unfair assumption given you know time traveler, she reveals it’s for someone unimportant.. but whose important to someone they care about, and that what they were doing was a terrible thing they’ll be ashamed of anyway. It’s a good scene that shows how far red’s come: from pushing everyone but two people awaya nd treating most like garbage in a vain attempt to avoid being who she used to be, to accepting it, finding love, and becoming friends with someone she hurt and accepting she hurt him. Rad is also clearly moved seeing that Enid did indeed choose wisely. Back in the present.

... NO not this time. No instead red and rad are pals, talking about how shredded they are and what not, and while Enid finds it annoying, understandably, she’s glad their not trying to kill each other and dosen’t have to buy Rad’s gravestone or visit her girlfriend in prison. In the alterted timeline, which their also aware of by rad’s comment, time travel just go with it, they were already planning on going jelly surfing and invite enid, and implictly ko along.

So we end on our main trio and Red jelly surfing, Enid and Red sharing a board before wiping out, laughing about it and then, as if you hadn’t already seen the header but fuck it.

Yup. The subtext just became.. text. Awww. In case you were wondering, I do like them as a couple, especially after this quintology, as it’s made me realize just hwo much they click and how much chemistry they have, and by this point their just adorable, their drama gone and they can just be happy and gay together. And that’s something cartoons are doing more of and tha’ts wonderful and it’s wonderful that, with all else he had to wrap up, Ian felt confirming the gay couples lasted was extremley important, as two others are shown married in the finale. And we’ll get to the finale more in a bit, but first Rad floats by with an “I support this”, to approving smiles, and enid thinking he’s a weirdo. Also I love the meta text of having a character voiced by the shows creator say that. KO however is sad that the video is gone but ENid says the memories will last. Rad is understandably not sad about it suggests they make new ones and we end on our quintent taking a selfie together. THE END. Before final thoughts, this wouldn’t however be the last we saw of them. The finale has a bit more as it flashes forwards a bit: the relevant part is one shows Enid take over KO’s mom Carol’s dojo. with red, the two kissing again and alllooking over some supsciously familiar kids who look supsciously like the hue troop, but are probably there great grandparents. While Red dosent’ show up again after that, and could’ve gone back to the future eventuallyf or all we know, I like to think she stayed, and that as noted above, she and enid had kids together with Rad’s help given the similar looking kids we see running the bodega... which admitely was kept vauge by Ian on purpose so fans could draw their own inclusion so that’s the one i’m drawing; rad is still there for them aand still family to them, but isn’t with Enid in a romantic sense, if you think diffrently that’s fine. But My ending is these two crazy kids worked it out and are now happy ever after. and that ain’t bad. Final Thoughts: A fantastic episode with TONS of great jokes, call backs and a great resolution , showing off Rad and Red’s character development greatly,f ixing a possible plot hole and giving fans the kiss that many of them had wanted for some time. ONe of the series best I can’t gush enough about it but I shall stop for your benifit. If you liked this review, subscribe for more, check out the backlog via the convient pages on my blog, and shoot me an ask, wether it’s to suggst an episode or just to ask me about my opinons or yell about them or ask what I think about certain shows or what i’ll cover. And until next time, later days.

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collecting-stories · 5 years ago

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Just Pretend | Enid

Hey, I'm not sure if you would want to write this imagine. So I'm just gonna ask. So Enid x reader were reader is dating Enid in season 9 and is with Carol and D when they find them?? And just like how she copes with it. Like super angesty. If you don't feel like it I completely understand. Love you 🖤🖤🖤

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And I hate to make this all about me, Who am I supposed to talk to, if there’s no you? - Soon You’ll Get Better, Taylor Swift

It was gift-wrapped, left on the table inside your trailer with old newspaper secured around it. You already had a good idea what it was that Maggie had left for you but you didn’t open it, letting the package sit neglected while you pulled the covers further over your head and sunk down in the darkness of the room. The trailer walls were thinner than you would’ve liked and you could hear people outside milling about. Soon someone would be knocking on your door, the same routine as always. Asking if you were okay. You would pretend they weren’t there.

The first time you met Enid she was following Maggie into the safety of Hilltop, convinced by some subconscious force that she had to stay close to the young woman who’d become both her mother and her older sister in the relatively short time they’d known each other. You’d been a resident of Hilltop since the outbreak. When they evacuated your neighbourhood it was there that the army truck had sent you and your little brother.

Enid, like most in this new version of the world, was managing her way through the muck of loss. Her parents, most of Alexandria, Ron (even if she didn’t like him), Glenn. Her family felt like it was getting smaller and she clung to the only people she really had left, Maggie and Carl. No one in this new world was without loss, a notion you were too familiar with. Only a year into living together the Hilltop had been hit with a virus.

“We had one too, not at Alexandria, but down in Georgia.” Carl had commented when you told him about the virus that took your younger brother. The truck had separated you from your parents and the virus had left you all alone.

“That shit was horrible.” You replied, “as crazy as it sounds, getting attacked by a walker is expected but getting sick like that...still seems like it shouldn’t happen.”

“I know, it feels surreal.” Carl agreed. It was later in the evening than most people were awake and a lantern between the two of you kept enough light that you could see each other.

Maybe it was because you didn’t know Enid well enough yet or maybe it was just Carl but there was never any ill-feeling toward him. When you thought about it now you knew it was Carl, he was as enigmatic as his dad. Rick Grimes was some sort of post-apocalyptic celebrity and his son had managed to take some of that limelight for himself as well. He didn’t just live in his dad’s shadow, he was as skilled at survival as the best of them. But the fanfare wasn’t all there was to him.

The first time you met Carl he had come to Hilltop with Enid. She introduced him as her boyfriend and a faint blush ran over her face, an uncharacteristic embarrassment or maybe the word just felt so silly to use these days. At the time Enid was nothing more than a friend, the only other person in Hilltop around your age. Carl was a welcome addition to your limited group. While you and Enid had a lot in common as far as circumstance was concerned it was Carl who you seemed to mesh with the most.

And maybe that was why it never occurred to either of you.

Enid was with Carl and you were happy for both of them. Happy to be a friend and happy to misinterpret your own feelings as those of someone convinced there are a limited number of people your age left on the earth. You weren’t confused, per say. You knew pretty much in third grade when you sat behind Holly Carlisle in chorus that you definitely had a thing for girls. The thing was not defunct since the world ended either, in fact the moment you saw Enid you couldn’t help thinking that she pretty. More than pretty maybe but there was already a lot on your plate and dealing with a post-apocalyptic unrequited crush on a straight girl wasn’t exactly in your cards. So pretty it was. The same thing Carl thought when he saw her, though he’d clearly had a better shot at the time. One he took. You couldn’t fault him for that.

“Did you like Georgia better?” You asked, passing the bottle of bourbon you’d found in Gregory’s closet to Carl. It had been because you liked Enid so much that you first tried to get along with Carl. But he was nice and easy to talk to and you had a lot in common (not including that you both liked his girlfriend). Now spending time with Carl when he came to Hilltop was second nature, a change from the ordinary and sometimes mundane that you readily looked forward to. Enid had already gone to sleep because of an early shift in the gardens but you had stayed up with Carl at the advice of Jesus who suggested the two of you ‘act a little more like teenagers’. Sneaking alcohol and staying up till the morning constituted that request in your opinion.

“I guess. It’s hard to fit in anywhere. It was hard at the prison and at Alexandria, doesn’t matter what state we’re in.” Carl was more travelled than you. It was only in recent months that you’d been trained to go further outside of the compound.

“Guess so,” you agreed. You had little authority to argue.

While you liked Carl and the visits he managed to Hilltop you were always a little gleeful when he left. A fact that brought on an unmatched level of guilt when he died. How many times had you wished he was gone just so Enid would pay a little more attention to you? And what a cruel thing to think about such a good friend. The bourbon bottle from that night still sat in your trailer, on the table with a collection of wildflowers in it.

When word came down that he’d died you had sat in the darkness of your trailer with the bottle in your lap and cried. It felt like hours but it was nearly two days of mourning the loss of such a good friend, someone you just thought would always be there, someone far too skilled to die the way he did. You didn’t get the opportunity to say goodbye but you kept the bottle so you would never forget him. His memory would always be close to you.

After his death you pulled away from Enid the slightest bit. You knew it was cruel but as she leaned on you for comfort you couldn’t help worrying that she was mistaking her grief with the vulnerability of new feelings and you didn’t want her to change her mind once she was okay with Carl’s absence. It was a fight worth having you supposed.

“I don’t want to talk about this here.” Though possibly the setting could have been better.

You were wading through muddy forest floors trying to remember exactly where Daryl and Jesus had told you all the traps were set. You should have listened better, something you definitely heard in Daryl’s voice somewhere in the back of your mind. Enid had followed you passed the gates and decided that out here in the woods where walkers had the uncanny ability of popping up frequently was the best place to talk.

“You’re avoiding me and don’t say you aren’t! I know you are!” Enid was never overly emotional. Usually her emotional response was to get defensive and right now she was definitely on the defense.

“It’s just been,” You shrugged, how cliche could you sound? “Complicated.”

Not the word you wanted to use but still the one that came out of your mouth. It summed up much of what you wanted to say. Your feelings were, the situation was, her feelings were. However stupid it sounded coming out of your mouth.

“Complicated? Are you kidding me? Carl died and the only person that I wanted to talk to about it is acting like I don’t exist all of the sudden!” She wasn’t quiet in her anger.

You were sure you heard the ominous beginnings of a moan from somewhere in the distance but you ignored the sound, focusing on the dead rabbit in the trap. “Look Enid, I’m trying to do this,” you waved the rabbit for her to see, “so could we talk later?”

“Every time you say that we don’t talk later. You just use it as an excuse to ignore me.” Enid took the bowie knife out of her belt, holding it as the groans of the distant walker grew closer.

“Great. Now we have to deal with that.” You muttered, standing up and pulling your own machete free.

“I know you lost a friend too but I feel like I lost both of you.” Enid commented, moving in closer to you and holding a defensive stance. Even with a couple walkers on the prowl she wasn’t giving up this damned conversation.

“It’s not that.” You would never be over Carl’s death but that wasn’t the thing that was keeping you from letting your friend in. You loved Enid, more than anything. More than a friend and not like a sister. But your best friend had just died and she was his girlfriend and you felt like you were taking advantage of a bad situation because you were selfish and you didn’t want to be selfish. You wanted her but not at the expense of a guilty conscience. Not at the expense of betraying your friend’s memory.

“Then what is it?” The first one came and Enid drove her knife through it’s skull with more force than necessary. Both because she was pissed at you and because how close must this have been to what happened to Carl? Why did he have to help anyone, why did he always have to be the good person?

You caught the next one. Not so angry. “I don’t know what to do.” You explained. Was your voice really so tired sounding?

“What?” Enid turned your way as you finished off the last of the dead threesome. At least it was only three. There was annoyance in her voice, she was pissed and she had every right to be. Her boyfriend was dead, her best friend was acting like an absolute bitch to her, and they were in this fucking forest with walkers. You tried to walk away but she grabbed the bag slung across your body. The strap caught and tugged you back.

“Get off!”

“Tell me! I’m not letting go until you tell me!” She insisted, her grip on the bag tightening. You yanked anyway, trying to pull away from her. You’d been successfully dodging her for weeks since Carl died.

“Let go of me!”

“No.”

“I don’t want to talk about this Enid, not here! So just let go.” You gave a final and forceful tug, yanking the bag from her hand hard enough to cause a friction burn. She clenched her fist and then pressed her palm to her stomach to put pressure on the burn as you instantly looked remorseful. “Enid I-”

“Forget it.” She snapped, turning and heading back to the Hilltop.

You walked back, trailing behind her in silence. You felt guilty now, she sounded so upset and you knew you’d pushed her there. She was already dealing with so much, trying to be there for Maggie, Carl dying, trying to fit into the Hilltop and pull her own weight here. Jesus let the both of you back through the gate and you walked to your trailer alone, laying down in your bed and looking over to the empty bottle on the table. Damn Carl for dying. It wasn’t his fault that you couldn’t explain to Enid why you were afraid to talk to her but you really wanted it to be. Because you were selfish and without a boyfriend you thought maybe you could take that place for her. If there weren’t too many people left in the world maybe you could be that person for her.

It was three more weeks before you finally decided that the silence was killing you too. In the short time that you had known Enid she had become your favorite person to talk to and you were torturing yourself just as much as you were hurting her by staying away. All you wanted was to be there with her, be there for her when she was sad or happy or angry. You didn’t want to be the one who made her angry. So you swallowed your pride and you walked yourself to her trailer to talk.

“You have to let me say this and you can’t interrupt until I'm done.” You explained immediately when the door opened. Behind Enid, Maggie stood up and declared that she was going to see if anyone needed help.

“What?” Her voice was sharp and angry, even after three weeks apart the anger hadn’t cooled.

“I didn’t want to talk to you because I like you. Not as a friend, like like the way you and Carl like each other. I want that with you and I can’t talk to you because I feel so guilty over it. Carl was my best friend and here I am some desperate girl pinning after his girlfriend and then he dies? And what I can’t talk to you. I can’t tell you that. I can’t comfort you without wanting more from this relationship.” You explained, “I don’t know if you’ll ever feel that way about me. Maybe we’ll always be friends and I want to try to be friends if that’s all you want but I just...I’m sorry, I want more than that.”

Enid took a deep breath, still standing there in the doorway. In all honesty she’d never even thought about it. She knew that sounded dumb and childish and not very progressive but she hadn’t even thought that you were anything but straight. And always just a friend.

“I don’t-” Enid started to say, unable to wrap her mind around what you were saying.

“It’s fine, I just...you wanted to know and I felt like I should be honest with you. You’re my best friend first and I’ve been a terrible friend and I’m sorry for that.” You apologized.

And that time you walked away. Less time passed between you. It only took Enid three days before she showed up on your doorstep, prepared to talk it out with you. In the three days that had passed she let herself think about what you had said. She was still grieving Carl and could barely fathom a day when she might not be any longer. But if that day did come she though, you had always been such a good friend and maybe it could be more than that. She didn’t want to think too much about what it meant all she knew was that you were her best friend and she missed you and loved you and she wanted to keep you in her life.

She knocked on the door of your trailer and started out the same way you had, diving into a speech without giving the other person the chance to say anything. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in a week or a month or whatever, I just know that you’re my friend and I care about you. I want to talk to you and I don’t know if someday when it doesn’t hurt to think about Carl, something could happen between us. I wouldn’t be opposed to that. But please, don’t shut me out.”

You opened the door wider and stepped to the side, letting her into your trailer and sitting down on your bed with her. There was a lot to talk about.

It was on that bed, in the exact same position, two months later, that she kissed you. What you’d said to her was always there in the back of her mind, whenever she spent time with you. The words played over and over and she during those two months of mourning and rebuilding a friendship she had begun to think that wouldn’t it be nice to be loved by you. She would always have a connection to Carl but he wasn’t here anymore and she didn’t want to fill that void with just anyone. She didn’t want meaningless connections in this new world and she couldn’t stop herself from thinking that it would be so nice to be with you.

So after dinner, two months after the two of you had mended your friendship, sitting in the trailer talking, she leaned over and kissed you. It was innocent and loving and a little unsure. She didn’t know if your feelings were the same as they had been when you confessed to her two months prior but she was willing to take a chance on them.

“Sorry,” she apologized when she pulled away, tucking a piece of her long hair behind her ear and smiling at you in a way that suggested she wasn’t sorry at all.

“No worries,” you replied, your own dazed look assuring her that you were unbothered by her actions. You leaned forward, tilting your head just slightly and kissing her again. You hadn’t kissed anyone since before the dead started walking but you didn’t spend too much time thinking about technique as you shuffled closer to her on the bed.

“I’m not staying back.” You protested, following after Enid and trying to pull on your hiking boots at the same time. Up ahead you could see Tara.

“Please, it’ll be okay.” Enid insisted though you both knew that there was no guarantee of okay these days.

The conversation played back in your head as you laid there in the dark of the trailer, overthinking every single moment in your mind. If you had just urged her to stay behind and not be so strong willed for once in her life. Or if you had just gone with her. You would have rather died than been here, alone in your stupid trailer with a bottle that wouldn’t bring back your best friend and a painting from Maggie that you couldn’t even stand to look at. You rolled over to face the wall as you heard the familiar knocking begin.

“I love you.” You held her face in your hands and kissed her, foreheads leaning against each other as if you were back in the privacy of your trailer and not in the open of Hilltop.

“I love you too,” she replied, another kiss, “I’ll be back.”

What could you throw at the door to make them go away? There might be some books scattered in the small space but getting up from this bed was like pulling yourself to the surface of a lake when there was cement weighing down your feet. You couldn’t imagine getting up. What would you even say if you did. That you were fine? That you weren’t? That you just wanted peace and quiet and nothingness?

You climbed the hill after Carol and the sound of her crying reached your ears as if it was a distant whisper, some white noise playing in the background as you stood there on the hill, wind whipping at your body. Pushing you off your balance. Of all the last images to remember a person by. You’d been lucky with Carl, you could always remember him the way he was in your trailer drinking late at night. You didn’t have to remember the way he looked as he died. But now, as you closed your eyes and tried to think of the way it felt to lay there with Enid for the last time all you could see was her head on a stake, mouth still moving and hair blowing in the wind. You couldn’t keep the image from creeping into your mind no matter how many times you tried to think of all the good things.

Rolling onto your back you reached for the ground and found a book just beneath the bed, the one Enid had been reading. You threw it at the door as the knock sounded once more. Daryl holding Carol back as you stood there in shock, unmoving, drinking in the sight of your dead girlfriend, played in your mind and you crawled off the bed, dragging your feet to pick up the book. Another knock and you opened the door, light flooding into the trailer and forcing your eyes shut. Standing there against the backdrop of the bright morning sun was Jesus, looking sad but trying not to.

“Please go away.” You begged, clutching the book to your chest. Even with your eyes open you could see her.

“I just wanted to see if you needed someone to talk to.”

“Enid.” You concluded and let the door swing shut on him.

A/N: I don’t even know if this is what you asked for and I totally hijacked it for my own purposes which I apologize for. Anyway, hope this is good?

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#enid x reader #enid fanfiction #enid imagine #enid x female reader #enid x fem!reader #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead imagine #the walking dead fanfic #twd fanfic #twd fanfiction #twd imagine #collecting stories imagine #cs discography series

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