#zed necrodopolis x fem!reader
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zed necrodopolis x reader
this is an au where zombies were never allowed to go to human high school. so zed is aged up (though age is never mentioned so you can imagine whatever) but has never been on the other side of the barrier. i attempted not to use gendered language but i tend to write with fem!reader in mind.
also please ignore any inconsistent verb tenses. english is not my first language and verb tenses are literally the bane of my existence. + i wrote this in like an hour
your family didn’t have much money growing up, hence why you lived so close to the gate. real estate was cheap since no one wanted to live near the zombies. but it also meant you learnt how to save money in as many ways as you could.
seabrook was all about perfection. if a mattress was two years old, it was time to throw it out and buy a new one. if a bike had a single scratch, it was thrown into the dumpster. all of the old items deemed as ‘garbage’ were brought to a warehouse that was emptied around every two weeks. and this was your favourite place to be.
you sneak into the warehouse. it’s late at night and there’s never any security around. you’re immediately greeted with piles of furniture and clothing and trinkets that are too unique to fit into the seabrook aesthetic.
you start to rummage through with the plastic gloves you always wear just in case any bugs or mice decide that this is a perfect place to burrow. lost in thought, you don’t hear the creaky door open, but you do hear the sudden shout that erupted from behind you.
your heart nearly stops beating at the sudden noise and your head swivels around. the lighting isn’t great, and you can only make out the vague shape of the person blocking your only exit. he looks fairly lanky, and if you squint you could make out some of his features. he doesn’t look much older than you and he certainly doesn’t scream “imposing”. he’s taller than you, but maybe if you caught him off guard you could knock him out with one of the many heavy objects splayed around you.
“i was told no one ever came in here,” the boy says. fuck, his voice is attractive.
“they don’t. in the three years i’ve been doing this i’ve never run into anyone else.” you answer, obviously suspicious.
“i’m uh- i’m just looking for a gift for my little sister,” he explains, “it’s her birthday soon and she said she wanted a new bike but we can’t really afford it.”
you relax a little at his explanation, sharing that you’d gotten into the habit of coming here to rummage for things since your family also doesn’t have much money. “i could help you look if you’d like? and even if we can’t find a bike, there’s a ton of cool stuff you can find if you’re willing to dig.” you offer.
you can’t be sure, but you think he smiles as he answers. “i’ll take any help i can get. my friend eliza told me to try coming here to look, but honestly, i’m a bit overwhelmed.”
you talk and laugh together for what must be at least two hours. you don’t end up finding a bike, but you find an old cheerleader outfit that looks to be in perfect condition. you can’t imagine why anyone would throw it out unless it just didn’t fit anymore. the boy -who still doesn’t have a name- literally jumped up in joy when he saw you holding the skirt from the set, doing a little celebratory dance that should have been embarrassing but was somehow endearing. (that’s how you figured out his little sister was obsessed with cheer).
eventually you have to part ways; it’s getting into the early hours of the morning and you both need to be getting home. he’s halfway down the street when you realise you never shared names and you yell out, “wait!”
he stops and turns around, and you jog to catch up to him.
“what’s your name, stranger?” you ask, “just in case we run into each other again.”
he tells you his name is zed, and you tell him your name in return. for a few seconds the both of you just stand in the street, memorising each other’s faces until you look away, shaking off the thoughts of how attractive he is under the starlight.
(bonus: when zed gets home, all he can think about is you. he wonders if eliza would recognise your name, or if he would possibly run into you if he chose to go to school for once instead of always skipping. he wonders where you live in zombietown, since he doesn’t recognise you and is sure he would remember seeing someone as gorgeous are you. he spends the next few days wondering, and then is in for the shock of his life when he sees you through the fence that blocks off zombietown from seabrook and learns that you’re human.)
#z o m b i e s#disney zombies#zombies 2#zombies 3#zed necrodopolis#zombies disney#zed zombies#zed necrodopolis x reader#zed necrodopolis x you#zed x you#zed x reader#milo manheim#milo manheim x reader#milo manheim x you#zombies 4#zombies dcom#z-o-m-b-i-e-s#zombies fanfiction#zed necrodopolis fanfiction#zed necrodopolis x fem!reader
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Stupid Z-band
Zed Necrodopolis X fem reader
Warnings: Smut, feral zed, breeding kink (basically), creampie, unprotected sex, this is just filth and me living out my feral zed moment.
Summary: Zed keeps tampering with his z-band in order to win the football games so him and the rest of the zombies can be accepted into Seabrook. His z-band malfunctions unexpectedly after he wins yet another game, but this time, it isn't a frenzy for human brains, it's a frenzy for you.
Seabrook High School erupted in cheers as Zed, once again, won another football game. He had tampered with his z-band to do so, but he didn't think it was a big deal— even though his arm felt like it was going to burn off any moment. You were cheering proudly along the rest of the cheerleaders— for Zed.
Bucky shot you dirty looks, as a way to tell you not to cheer for zed— but as always, you dismissed them. Zed was your boyfriend after all... although, no one else in Seabrook High knew that. It was still too dangerous to out your relationship, since most humans still hadn't really came to terms with accepting Zombies.
You wanted to run up and kiss Zed, but ultimately knew that wasn't the best thing to do in front of all of Seabrook. As the minutes passed by and it became later, more people left the football field. The cheerleaders were the only people left on the field, putting your stuff in your duffle bag you watched as the rest of the cheer team eventually scattered off, leaving you alone.
Meanwhile, Zed was in the locker rooms. He threw his helmet on the bench as he panted, his face and jersey were covered in dirt and sweat, as well as his green hair, which was messily stuck to his forehead, his pale skin sticky and hot.
Zed wanted nothing more than to take off the clad football jersey, until his wrist started burning and his Z-band started beeping red, the bold words 'OFFLINE' flashed across the small screen of the band.
Zeds veins immediately darkened and trailed up his arms, all the way to his face. He grew paler, and the veins in his face grew darker. His fists clenched in an effort to control himself as he started to pant, though a light growl erupted from his zombie and he quickly realized this was more than a frenzy.
He felt hot and.... aroused...
Zeds 'game' pants felt unbelievably tight and restricted, he needed you. So, he rushed out of the locker rooms and went to the last place he saw you, the football field. Which, was completely empty now... not like his zombie cared in the moment, he would take you in front all of Seabrook in this state.
You were bent over slightly, zipping up your cheer bag when you heard feet to grass movement and a noise between a growl and a pant. You turned around and were immediately met with Zed, you smiled before you noticed the state he was in "Zed! I'm so proud- hey, are you okay?" You asked, your face twisting with worry and concern. Zed would've melted from how sweet you sounded, but right now he couldn't control this frenzy.
When you were in his reach, he grabbed you, yanking you with him to the middle of the football field. You let out a yelp in surprise "Zed, what are you doing?" You gasped, your voice was small and meek, and for some reason that turned on his zombie more. He said nothing, he couldn't say anything but let out a series of strained growls as his chest heaved up and down from panting; it was as if he was in heat and your eyes widened when you notice the strain in his pants.
One of his hands went to the back of your neck, wrapping his hands around your hair, in an attempt to expose your neck to him. When he realized that wasn't enough, he yanked your head back with the hand wrapped in your hair, not hard enough to hurt you but enough to make you squeak out a moan.
Zed hurried his face into your neck, sucking and kissing at every spot he could, smelling your sweat vanilla perfume which caused the veins in his hands and face to grow darker. He nipped at your neck, not enough to actually bite you, but enough to mark you. Your hands gripped onto his chest as a way to steady yourself, and your touch set him off, he growled as he threw you on the grass of the football field, not wasting a second before he climbed on top of you.
You weren't scared, you and Zed had done this many times but not when he was like this. He was feral and didn't give you a moment to breathe, but when he ripped your cheer top in half— exposing your bare chest, you finally remembered where you both were "wait, Zed what if we get-" You gasped, but were quickly cut off when he kissed and nipped at your boobs, forcing your thighs open with one hand and sitting him self in between them.
You were panting now, looking at your zombie boyfriend as your hands went to touch him, but again, his zombie growled as you touched him, bringing him back to the main thing he needed you for. Zed loved you, and he was always so sweet during sex, he was almost never rough, but you couldn't help how soaked you were from this whole situation.
Zed didn't even bother to take off your cheer skirt, he only ripped the center of it and your underwear in one clean tear, you gasped when you felt him lifting your skirt up so it bunched up on your hips, you were exposed to him and his face now rested in between your thighs. Everything happened so fast you barely had time to adjust to his mouth attaching to your clit. Your eyes rolled back and your hips jolted in surprise, you managed to rest on your elbows to look at him, his arms were tightly wrapped around your waist so that his hands rested on your stomach, you looked at his arms and moaned at the sight of his dark purple veins throbbing. Your eyes moved up to his face and before you could get a good look at his face he forced you back down with one of his hands that rested on your stomach.
Zed ate you as if you were his last meal, his tongue circling your clit so effortlessly and his mouth slurping up your juices. The sounds were lewd and filthy, but it only seemed to turn his zombie on more. He ate you out as if it was for his pleasure, not staying long enough for you to cum. His zombie didn't know whether or not he wanted you like this or on all fours, and he growled impatiently as he finally decided to flip you. His zombie strength allowed him to flip you over with ease so that you were on all fours.
You whined softly at the quick movement and turned back to look at him, your eyes widened once you realized his pale cock was now exposed, it seemed as if he was even bigger now that he 'zombied out'. He wasn't just bigger or paler, but the veins in his cock had grew darker as well and you moaned softly at the sight, but were quickly cut off when his hands grasped your hips and he forced your ass closer to him.
Zed ran his cock back and forth between your folds, collecting your wetness just enough for him to slide into your pussy, but he didn't just go halfway in, he completely bottomed out and you let out a noise between a moan and a yelp as the tip of his cock reached the spot inside of you that made your toes curl.
"Oh my god- Zed" You babbled out, head falling against the grass. He didn't allow you any time to adjust, but you were so soaked that the stretch didn't hurt. His zombie growled at your already fucked out tone, gripping your hips harshly as he set an unforgiving pace. The tip of his cock reached your sweet spot with every harsh thrust he gave you, you were so drunk on his cock that you didn't even care that you were in the middle of the football field.
Zed was unable to say anything, only grunts and growls came from his lips while he panted and fucked you harshly. He couldn't stop, with each thrust he grew more animalistic and feral. His zombie wouldn't stop until he had you cumming on his cock and until he was spilling into you. The thought of him finally filling you up made his nails dig harder into your hips and his pace speed up.
The side of your face was forced into the grass when he leaned over and pressed your head into it. Your mouth fell open as a series of moans fell past your lips. You cried out his name as he snapped his hips against yours, and you felt the coil in your lower stomach when the tip of his cock hit that place inside of you with each thrust. The hand that was on your head, which happened to be the one he had his z-band on, went to the side of you as he used his other hand to keep your hips in place.
One of your hands gripped onto the arm he placed beside you, clawing at his arm for dear life as he fucked your brains out. Zed growled but didn't remove his arm from you, instead he fucked you even harder as he felt his release near. The need to cum inside of your pussy overwhelmed him and his zombie wasn't going to give out until he filled you up. He was so deep inside of you that you could've sworn you felt him in your stomach, and that thought alone made you cum. You cried out as your cum splashed against his cock, making him thrust even easier than before.
Zed panted harder as his zombie kept him going, he wasn't tired by any means, but he needed to cum. So when you clenched around his cock from being so overstimulated he growled and finally spilled his cum deep inside you. You let out a gasp and your hand kept its hold on his hand that was on the ground next to your head, you whined as he didn't stop cumming. His hips had slowed and his cum dripped out of you while he was still inside of you. Your hand clawed at his z-band by accident, causing it to beep and turn green, the words 'ONLINE' finally popped up on the small screen.
Zeds veins slowly returned to normal, but he was extremely tired and his whole body ached. He was still panting, but once his vision cleared and he noticed how fucked out you looked, he slowly pulled out of you, his cum leaking out of your pussy almost immediately and you whined. "Oh fuck, I'm so sorry baby" he repeated constantly, despite the hurt his body felt from his zombie taking over for so long.
You let out a whine in response, not able to move and he quickly realized and lifted you up and into his lap after he put his pants back on. He covered your bare chest with the ripped cheer top and pulled your cheer skirt back down as his hand cleaned off your cheek and hair which was covered in grass. Despite how sore you already started to feel, you noticed the harsh color of red on his wrist, around his z-band. "Zed... that was amazing, but you've got to stop tampering with your z-band" You managed to say, your voice weak from all the moaning and crying out you did.
Zed cracked a small smile when you confirmed that you were okay and you enjoyed it and he sighed when you mentioned him tampering with the z-band "I know.... Just... I have to win one last game and then I'll stop" He reassured you, and you hated the fact that he had to hurt himself just to be accepted into Seabrook. You nodded softly, "promise?" You said softly, looking into his brown eyes and he gently kissed your lips "I promise..."
#zed necrodopolis imagine#zed necrodopolis smut#zed necrodopolis#disney zombies#zombies#milo manheim#milo manheim smut#milo manheim imagine#smut#wattpad#Disney#feralzed#zed necrodopolis x reader#x reader#xreader#x female reader#x fem!reader
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October Sun
summary: after you'd sent Xavier a text that told him not to meet you, you'd ventured to the school at dawn, alone, bouquet in hand as promised.
pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader
warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.
bon reading, frens
___________________________💀
OCTOBER SUN pt.24
It was barely 6AM. You'd hardly slept after Dave had returned you to the house. He'd watched you climb the stairs to the second floor, ever the persistent warden, before you'd heard him slink down to the basement he and Aurora had converted into their private apartment. Besides the numerous big reveals that had unfolded last night—Ajay's odd friendship with your sister, Simon's warped inverse of your ability, Maddie's soul penetrating the field of your cosmic artery, the soul-tie you and Wally somehow shared—besides all of that, something, a feeling of profound unrest, had kept you up. Had you staring at the green stars on Aiden's ceiling until your alarm began to chime.
Sharing a soul-tie with Wally should've been the thing that terrified you most amongst all that'd transpired. It was unheard of, curious, downright impossible in nature. Soul-ties were as fragile as they were strong and required both souls to be alive, together in the same lifetime in the world of the living, to exist. That Wally was extremely not alive should've made you question the validity of the connection you and he had. Especially given there was evidence of magical tampering on school grounds, a spiteful, bitter essence sickened into the ether that surrounded the campus.
And yet, that nor the symbol etched into the tree, that bastardized amalgamation of runic lines, hadn't been what you'd kept ruminating about from the moment you'd laid down until dawn. No, it'd been Dave. Something about how he'd come out of the trees, so steady and sure-footed; how his eyes had held your gaze as he'd marched toward you.
You pressed your fingers into your eyes and groaned. There was no use thinking about it further. Not now. You had a bouquet to put together and two friends to save. Dave's feline equilibrium had to wait. With a grunt you rolled out of Aiden's little-kid bed and shuffled into your room, not daring to check your appearance in the mirror. You could feel the bags under your eyes. Heavy and dark like someone had injected squid ink beneath the delicate skin.
Showering was a groggy, clumsy affair, appendages weak and a step behind your brain's transmissions. You did what you could to make yourself presentable, hoped to conceal the fatigue behind a cute outfit: A thin, loose, autumn-orange destination sweater tucked partially into a slim, black denim skirt with opaque black tights underneath. You applied makeup where you needed it to hide the sleep deprivation and called it at that, unable to muster the strength for much else. It was going to be a long, long, l o n g day.
But worth it, you reminded yourself firmly in a voice not unlike Wally's, because you were going to find a way to help Simon and once Simon was helped, you'd both find a way to get Maddie back on the right side of the veil.
A sweep of berry-tinted lipgloss and you dragged yourself outside into your Nanna's garden, brandishing a pair of pruning shears from the mud room you'd passed through on your way out. You clipped a variety of flowers and piled them on the bouquet paper you'd liberated from the stash Nanna (and now Aurora) kept at the house. Once accomplished, it was time to head out and you sighed in regret that you'd texted Xavier to sleep in, telling him you wanted to be alone that morning to center yourself before having to face your classmates after yesterday's ordeal.
It wasn't entirely false. It couldn't have been. You didn't lie to Xavier as a personal commandment. But it wasn't entirely the truth either and you felt queasy from it. Still, you sucked in a deep breath and forced yourself to move forward. Nanna was in the kitchen when you walked in with the bouquet, sitting at the table as she waited for the kettle to boil. You could smell the floral tea blend Nanna, Aurora, and Dave drank. Even dry the scent was potent, overwhelming the herb and warm spice aroma the kitchen usually held. You nearly gagged as you passed the open teapot, the concoction inside like a punch to the nose when you got too close.
"Good morning, Maypie." Nanna smiled warmly, patting the table in front of the seat beside her. The nickname irritated you, too close to the one you'd scolded Xavier for using yesterday, but it was Nanna and you couldn't find it in yourself to say something.
Instead, "Morning, Nanna," you greeted with a yawn, setting the bouquet on the counter as you traipsed toward the sink to fill a glass of water. "Can't sit. Gotta get to school."
Nanna hummed in acknowledgment and you could tell she was checking the time on the stove before she turned to face you in her chair. "Awfully early, isn't it?"
"So early," You agreed with a sob of disdain as you brought the glass to your lips for a sip of cold water. Your skin began to feel warm and wherever you rested your gaze seemed irrationally farther than where it should be. Shaking your head to dispel what you assumed was a lack of sleep, you took a deep drink from your glass.
Nanna tilted her head and raised a snowy brow at something near your elbow, "And who are those for?"
For a brief moment, you didn't grasp the question, casting about to understand. When your eyes landed on the bouquet beside the sink, you blinked slowly at it, lids like lead. The floral aroma itched your nostrils, traveled into your skull, a thick fog dampening your mental processing.
Sedate, you panned your head and stared properly at the bouquet, told Nanna, "It's for Maddie," confused as to why you'd believed you shouldn't. That desperate, nagging feeling you'd had earlier when thinking of last night—last night?—growled in warning in the back of your mind, but it was so far away you easily ignored it.
"Oh, how lovely," Nanna replied, standing to put her hands on your shoulders and rub your arms kindly, "I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture when she comes home."
"Who will appreciate what gesture?" Ginny croaked from the doorway, slugging into the kitchen in a silk robe and thick, knitted socks up to her knees. You knew she wore them to keep in place the gauze she slathered in anti-aging creams and wore overnight. Grumpy and rumpled, she questioned, "Who're the flowers for?"
You huffed a laugh as you watched her pull out a chair and drop into the seat, seeming as ill-suited to the morning as you.
"They're for Maddie," Nanna explained and, immediately, Ginny straightened, her glazed eyes turning sharp as they landed on you.
"She's back?" She asked.
You shook your head, "No," and you were tired, so tired, and couldn't quite seem to formulate the words to explain why you were taking flowers to school for Maddie who hadn't actually returned from wherever she'd run off to in order to accept them.
"Is it a shrine thing?" Ginny asked.
A feeling of awareness clawed through the mist that had filled your head. You felt an insidious tickle in the back of your nose, gasped a breath, and then released a cathartic blast of a sneeze, expelling that horrible, heady floral scent.
You blinked several times as you recovered your wits, glancing at the bouquet and then between Nanna and Ginny, at last able to think clearly, "Something like that. We're just trying to stay positive. Principal Hartman said he'd pass along whatever we bring in to Maddie's mom." And there you were, feeling like yourself again, able to map out a plausible lie to keep Wally (and, by extension, Maddie-as-a-ghost) safe from whatever Ginny or your mother could do if they discovered you were conspiring with the school's dead.
Ginny returned to a slouch, propping her head on her fist, "That's nice of you." She looked halfway back to sleep when you gave her a kiss goodbye, patting your thigh limply and muttering a slurred farewell. As you shrugged into your leather jacket, you heard Ginny scoff at Nanna, barking, "Don't you bring that nasty stuff near me, I don't know how you drink it," and couldn't help but snort because, truly, not even a man dying of thirst would accept a cup of that tea.
"I'm taking mom's car." You announced, peeking back into the kitchen. Your mother was on what constituted for her as a work trip; taking money to perform a ceremony that had no bearing on the ghosts—if they hadn't already crossed over as many of them had—at all. The concept was as stupid as it was a scam and you were revolted that someone in your family, who you'd once respected, was capable of performing such a farce.
Fucking. Ghost weddings.
You pressed your lips in a line in an effort to control the disgusted expression you knew you'd make upon thinking about it. Without looking at you, Nanna and Ginny gave their assent and carried on bickering after wishing you a pleasant day.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
"So," Maddie said in a neutral tone which set Wally's teeth on edge, "How long have you guys really known each other?"
It was just him and her outside, lingering by the door waiting for you and Xavier to arrive. Wally leaned while Maddie sat on an empty bike rack adjacent to the entrance, looking out over the parking lot like watchmen on duty. The others were inside; Ajay had vowed to coax Mina down from the rafters while Charlie and Rhonda had simply wanted to observe how that interaction went after learning Ajay and Mina were entangled in their own version of a relationship. Strange and unconventional and, apparently, wholesome though Wally had no idea what that meant coming from Ajay.
"I was wondering when you were gonna ask me." Wally said, ducking his head sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck. He lifted his gaze to Maddie, "Not long. Since Field Day."
Maddie's brows raised, but she remained composed. After a few moments of silence, Maddie spoke again, a smile in her voice, "She talked about you a lot."
Wally swallowed, his heart fluttering at the information, unable to repress the feeling of giddiness that fizzled through him. Regardless, he tried to play it cool, "Yeah?"
"Yeah. She always said her 'ghost was so hot' and that she was 'saving herself for her ghost'." She paused, chewed her lip, and stared down at her lap as she thought about what to say next. "Looking back, I guess she thought she could hide in plain sight." And then, with a snort, "And it worked. None of us believed her for a second. It never even crossed my mind that it could be true until I got here."
Wally nudged her side in a friendly motion. "Was she right?" He snickered, teasing, "Am I hot?"
Maddie shoved his head down playfully with a laugh, "You're an idiot." Another comfortable beat. She hummed quietly before she revealed in a gentle tone, "You two are cute together. If it means anything."
"It does," Wally said and it was true. It was more reassuring than it should've been to have someone on the outside see what he saw. Cemented it somehow.
Another few minutes passed before a car pulled into the parking lot. Maddie jumped down from her perch, face screwed up in confusion, "Wasn't she bringing Xavier?"
Wally could see the tension she'd been holding in her shoulders slowly diminish as you parked and climbed out. Alone. He and Maddie made their way over to greet you, twin smiles of relief on their faces. Wally hadn't been keen to see that dickbag anytime soon. It was better for everyone that you'd decided to leave him behind.
"Hey guys," You said, eyes automatically finding Wally's, his heart beating that much harder in his chest. You seemed to read the unspoken question and informed, "I thought we'd get more accomplished if Xavier wasn't here."
Maddie nodded, "Smart," visibly grateful for your forethought.
Wally treaded around the front of the car you'd driven and scooped you up into a solid hold, one arm under your thighs while the other clamped at a diagonal on your back, his hand tangling in your hair. Looking at you closely, he could see the exhaustion beneath the surface and felt a pang of guilt for agreeing with everyone (including you) that you should come as early as permissible by school standards.
"Hey, baby," He uttered, pressed his forehead to yours with a lopsided, affectionate grin, and hinted greedily for a kiss that you supplied without complaint. He almost groaned as your lips yielded under his, the simple touch striking a match low in his belly. Fuck, he wanted you. Like, always. Was hardwired at this point to get aroused whenever you were within arm's length. It was driving him half insane that he couldn't climb into the back of the car with you, have you straddle his lap, and show you how affected he was by you.
"Rhonda's right," Maddie commented from the sidelines, referencing something Rhonda had said the previous night after you'd left with your brother-in-law. "You guys are gross."
You pulled away from Wally with a cackle, prompting him to place you back on your feet, and said, "Oh, like you and Zav aren't just as bad."
Twirling around and bending (very nicely) into the backseat of the car to collect your things, you didn't see the look that flashed across Maddie's face, one of hurt and betrayal and anger, but Wally did and it made him want to grab you by the shoulders, and shake you until you stopped thinking the world of Xavier Baxter. He wouldn't dare do that, of course, you were too precious, and he couldn't imagine doing anything to frighten you like that. On the contrary, he'd proudly do things to Xavier that would earn Wally a spot on a Most Wanted list if he'd still been alive.
He pushed those thoughts down when you straightened, lifting a lush, full bouquet into your arms which you handed over to Maddie in a way that signaled to Wally you and she were used to each other's motions and mannerisms. Again, you reached into the car, grabbed your backpack, and hoisted it out of the backseat. Wally noticed that it seemed to weigh more to you than normal and took it from you, slinging it over his shoulder with a broad grin.
"Such a gentleman," You teased, though Wally could see how much you enjoyed the gesture by the way you pinked up so sweetly. He slung his arm around your waist and pulled you into his side as you and he walked, stamping a kiss to your hair and openly breathing in the scent of musky vanilla and coconut.
"Wait." Maddie said, just as you and Wally were about to reach the door. You and he paused, turning to look at Maddie as she regarded the bouquet in her hands and then the backpack on Wally's shoulder, an intense cast to her features. "How..." She squinted at you, "Where are the originals?" Scanned back to the car, then you, then the bouquet.
"Originals?" You asked, completely lost, though Wally recognized what Maddie meant. It hadn't occurred to him how unfeasible it was that he still had the notes you'd given him stashed away in his private, just-for-him corner of the school; none of the resets between now and then had vanished them as resets were wont to do.
"Yeah, the originals." Maddie repeated.
Wally stepped in, taking over the explanation since Maddie appeared to struggle with how to phrase that every object they, as ghosts, picked up was just a clone of one that stayed anchored in the living world. He did his best to describe it, beckoning both you and Maddie to follow him so he could show you an example with a piece of chalk in an unlocked classroom. He lifted it, of course wielding the copy while the original remained in place, untouched, not even a sign that it'd been tampered with.
You cocked your head, lifting the original and handing it to Maddie who took it without issue. Experimenting, Maddie placed it back on the chalk ledge, left it there for multiple seconds, and then instructed Wally to, "Pick it up now."
Wally did.
As in he actually did. Picked up the original, no immense, herculean emphasis of energy required (and that very, very rarely worked, normally resulting in a brief flicker of an already on-its-way-out lightbulb). How had Wally not noticed before?
"Gnarly," Wally laughed, tossing the chalk in the air and catching it. "Do you think the living see it floating if I'm holding it?" He began to zoom it around like a toy airplane. "I wonder if it works the other way."
"What do you mean?" You asked.
"Like, things that we brought with us into the afterlife," Maddie clarified, "Do you think you could make them real on your side?"
You shrugged and admitted, "I didn't even know I could do this until you guys pointed it out." And then you sighed and rubbed your temples, "Another thing to add to the laundry list of stuff I have to look in to." You looked at Maddie, "I'd probably need someone who can't see you guys to confirm whether or not it works both ways."
Wally strode over to you, putting the chalk back down on the ledge as he went. He adjusted the weight of your backpack on his shoulder so he could cradle your face in both of his big palms. "One thing at a time, baby," He said, brushing a strand of your hair behind your ear, "Let's check off giving Mina the flowers and then go from there, okay?"
You slumped, thankful, and slanted into him so that your forehead was pressed to the center of his chest, "That sounds like a good plan."
Together, you, Wally, and Maddie strolled to the theater, passing Mr. South who welcomed you with a friendly wave and a short hello. His eyes seemed to flicker this way and that, as if sensitive to the school lighting, as he watched you walk by, Maddie close to your side, Wally a half-step behind and falling farther back as he studied Mr. South. Vaguely, he heard the man mutter, "Mm, dahlias," but that was about as much fuss as he expressed. Nothing to indicate Mr. South saw a puppeted bouquet or levitating backpack drifting down the hall of their own volition.
Wally caught up to you and Maddie quickly, his hand finding the small of your back on instinct. Rhonda and Charlie were already outside the theater when you, Maddie, and Wally arrived, Charlie rising from where he'd been seated on the floor as Rhonda pushed herself off the wall, today's lollipop stuffed into her cheek.
"Well, Ajay got her down," She announced, rolling her eyes, "But she refuses to talk to us. She won't even answer Ajay if he asks because she knows the questions aren't his." Belligerent, Rhonda shook her head, "And I thought Janet was a diva."
Charley shook his head, "I'm sorry, but that," He hooked his thumb over his shoulder to stipulate Mina's behavior, "isn't anywhere near as bad as Janet was. At least Mina was polite when she told us where to go."
Rhonda conceded with a bob of her head, pursed lips, and raised brows. Upon noticing the flowers, she remarked, "Huh, you came through, strawberry pie," her tone impressed, "Next time you should bring lover boy a new wardrobe," a smirk at Wally and a coy look at you, "He looks pretty good in jeans."
Wally cleared his throat and squeezed you to him tightly, his gaze soft and imploring as he said, "Ignore her, you don't have to bring me anything," then to Rhonda, "She's not our personal gofer."
Rhonda raised her hands in surrender, glimpsing at Charley in amusement, "No need to blow your jets, superstar, it was just a suggestion."
Charley added, "And a joke," as he gave Rhonda a sardonic side-eye. "So, should we get this over with? See if our Split River Phantom has anything useful to share?"
You patted Wally's chest to signal for your backpack which he handed over with a pout, disliking the idea of you hauling it around when you were so tired.
"You guys go do that. I'm going to steal Ajay and see if we can figure out what these symbols mean." You looked at Maddie, "If you guys find anything, let me know."
"How?" Maddie wondered. It wasn't as if she still had a means of communication in the afterlife; the decoy phone had been with Xavier when she'd been thrown from her body, and, as far as Wally knew, her real phone was in pieces. Even if she did have a phone...would it have worked? Wally had heard Dawn brag about her 'socials', but she wasn't actually capturing or uploading selfies...was she?
Before he could fall too far down that rabbit hole, he felt your hand grasp his, fingers twined, skin smooth under his thumb. You grinned at Maddie, "That's the best part," you brought your and Wally's joined hands up, "If Ajay and I don't get back before you're done, just manipulate the connection. Wally and I—"
"Don't know if it'll work!" He interrupted, worried that you might've forgotten that all those times he'd felt your emotions like his own or found you in crowded spaces had happened before last night.
It seemed you had because you blinked those darling Bambi eyes up at him, visibly uncertain. Wally saw the instant you realized your mistake, could see the gears turning as you backtracked and reassembled your speech. It didn't take long, maybe a second or two, and then you picked up where you'd left off, saying, "—but it should make it so he can find me."
Rhonda twirled her lollipop, whistled in surprise, "Magic is in.sane."
"It's not magic," You stated mildly, "It's connectedness. I promise there is a difference." You listed into Wally's side, turned your head to hide a yawn, and then seemed to try to shake yourself awake.
In response, Wally, cupped the back of your head and kissed your hair, rubbing his hand up and down your arm while holding you closer. "You gonna be okay?" He asked, concerned that you might not be able to stay upright much longer.
"I'll be fine," You said, however, the assurance you'd meant to offer was dimmed by another yawn you couldn't suppress.
It was then that Ajay appeared. He held the door to the theater open for Charley, Rhonda, and Maddie who waved their see-you-laters to you. Wally released you in measured degrees, careful and considerate, so you wouldn't fall into the space he left behind.
"I'm coming to find you as soon as we get something, okay, baby?"
You nodded, a forced smile on your face that made Wally want to carry you home and tuck you into your bed. Innocently. Innocently. But he couldn't help himself, dipping in to capture your lips in a gentle kiss that still somehow made his breath catch and his heart pound and his belly coil tight with desire.
"Okay, we get it, you're hot for each other, can we go now?" Ajay's voice cut through the muggy atmosphere that now permeated between you and Wally, exasperation pitched shrill as a school bell.
Wally untangled himself from you, hated having to do it, but understood that it needed to be done in order for both you and him to focus on what was important. That was finding clues or proof that Mr. Anderson was involved in Maddie's circumstances and pointing the police away from Simon. Right. Wally was an independent, capable guy who could do what it took to help. He just didn't want to do it without you plastered to him in some way.
"That face is exactly why you two can't be around each other right now." Ajay stated flatly, all but shoving Wally aside and ushering you back down the hall.
With a chuckle, Wally called after you, "I'll see you later, baby!"
"If either of you say 'I'll miss you', I'm boycotting this relationship until I can cross over." Ajay declared, not allowing you to stop and respond.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Xavier sat behind the wheel of his truck, nervous, jittery; inching toward full-blown paranoia after having stopped at your house to pick you up. He'd received your message earlier, the one that had gently told him to stay home and sleep in since you weren't going to crusade after evidence against Mr. Anderson until a more appropriate hour.
But he hadn't been able to get back to sleep, had instead sat in bed contemplating how fucked up everything would inevitably get. And he was scared. Your newfound friendship with Simon made Xavier's veins clog with cold, slimy fear. He had no idea if Maddie had read the message he'd accidentally sent her ("i'm alone. lmk if ur still in the mood, babe🔥"). Had no idea if she'd told Simon about Xavier and Claire. Simon hadn't outright accused Xavier of cheating on Maddie—not to Xavier's face, anyway—but, if Simon did know, it was only a matter of time before it came up and Xavier lost you forever.
Fueled by anxiety and desperation, Xavier had dressed and left the house in a flurry, drove over and at the speed limit in frenzied intervals as he'd forgotten and remembered it by turns. He'd arrived at your place faster than ever before only to discover that, according to Abigail, you'd left about forty-five minutes earlier. Granted, you hadn't explicitly said you'd want to spend the morning by yourself at home, but Xavier couldn't shake the feeling that something was utterly and profoundly wrong.
Why go to the school alone? Why leave him out of it? An agitated growl ruptured from his throat as he smacked the steering wheel, tears springing to his eyes unbidden. He pulled in huge gulps of air to stop himself from tipping into a panicked breakdown, begged the universe or God or whatever was out there that he was overthinking it, that you weren't slipping away from him and everything was okay, it was all going to be okay.
Except it wasn't okay. He'd fucked up and fucked around and made you participate by sending texts about band practices that'd never been scheduled, lies about how you'd needed help around the house and Xavier was family so he'd been obligated to assist. Jesus Christ, what had he done? He couldn't breathe, a balloon in his chest that expanded the closer he got to the school. When he pulled in and saw your mother's car, he was already one foot into a mental crisis.
He parked beside your mother's car and sat for a moment, filtering through a litany of excuses and reasons and apologies to retch at your feet in libation. Xavier couldn't. lose. you. Not you. The only person left in his life who fucking mattered. Hurt and anger and grief and hopelessness funneled into him, a tornado of self-deprecation howling insults that ricocheted inside his skull, the torment building and building and—
"FUCK." He belted, smashing the steering wheel over and over again until his body collapsed forward and he heaved a thick, wet sob.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
The other vertices in the barrier projected outward from symbols that varied slightly from the first you'd found. Two were etched in stone, one in a tree planted on the same alignment as the other, and the last had been burned so thoroughly into the dirt that you couldn't dig under it or dig it up.
"Can we call it magic now?" Ajay folded his arms and thinned his lips in a dour line as he watched you dog-dig at the dirt from a new angle. "Because this feels like magic."
You huffed and let yourself fall back on your bum, mopping the sweat from your brow with the sleeve of your sweater. "I mean, it's harnessed energy," you countered, still reluctant to call it something so fantastical when you had dirt caked under your fingernails and math class in twenty minutes. Those mundane, ultra-ordinary truths made it difficult to reconcile the existence of something Harry Potter fought a war with.
Ajay wasn't having it, "Girl, just say it. It's magic."
A squawky noise of denial later and you snapped a picture of the symbol on your phone, finally standing and returning to your backpack which you'd left at Ajay's feet. You dug out the notebook you'd used to scribble down the Futhark alphabet last night before tiptoeing back into Aiden's room and compared the symbol in the dirt to the runes on the page.
"It's like the others," You observed, "It has all the binding elements, except this one also has an extra line here..." You indicated, chewed your lip in thought, frustrated when nothing jumped out at you. Whoever had created these symbols and performed the ritual that accompanied them had either not known anything about the Futhark runes or they'd known too much. Which meant that you had no way of decoding the bastardized symbols by yourself. At least, not without major effort.
"An extra line?" Ajay echoed, "To make us extra trapped?"
You slanted him an unimpressed look, "No, Sassy McQueen...but also kind of yes."
Ajay flashed a victorious grin then crouched to look over your shoulder at your notebook. "Why would someone want to trap ghosts here?"
"Maybe they didn't." You considered as you brainstormed aloud, "Maybe they wanted to trap something and didn't realize the effect their spell—"
"Which is magic."
"—Nghyah," You declined and then continued, "The effect their spell would have on the different realms within the parcel they created."
"I know English isn't my first language, but I can tell that wouldn't make sense to anyone."
You rolled your eyes, clapping your notebook closed and filing it away in your backpack. "Think of the spell like a box. Whoever cast it brought that box down on this specific location, trapping everything in this location in it. But it only affects things outside of the physical world because it's not a physical box."
"...Have you ever seen the Witches of Eastwick?"
"Have you?"
You straightened, bowing your back to loosen the stiffness that had collected in your spine. Ajay took responsibility of your backpack and together you and he walked back toward the school.
After a short silence, Ajay spoke, "You know, Wally mentioned a cult that used to practice around here. He's really into that spooky-ooky, creepy shit." He emphasized with spirit fingers.
You stopped and stared after Ajay, eyes round and mouth ajar, "Wally? Golden retriever, football bro, Wally?"
Ajay turned to walk backward, smiling, "Oh yeah. He was into it before he died, too. A real savant of the deranged history of Split River." He pondered you for a moment and then muttered, "You know you two are allowed to talk when you're alone, right?"
Kissing your teeth, you resumed your stride, waving Ajay off, "In our defense, we haven't actually had a lot of time to be alone since we started talking."
Ajay snorted, but merrily settled his pace to match yours, his gait slower and longer, "He was alive during the rise of the Satanic Panic. If I'm remembering right, he told me about a cult called the Something-Something of Dagda."
"Very helpful."
"They were established before Milwaukee was founded and then faded out of history for awhile."
You sighed drearily, having heard similar tales through the family grapevine as well as your own special-interest research, "Let me guess, the Something-Something of Dagda made a comeback in the '20s when it was fashionable to be associated with the occult?"
Ajay nodded, "I think that's what Wally said. Apparently, they crawled back into the shadows, never to be heard from again, just after the Second World War."
"Typical," You chuckled, shaking your head, "You join a resurrectionist cult and then leave when—"
"How do you know it was resurrectionist?"
"I'm assuming." You confessed, "Dagda is a Celtic god whose staff can resurrect or kill whoever he clubs with it." When Ajay acknowledged your answer with a low oh, you expanded on your previous point, "I guess the members didn't like that their sons didn't all come home in one piece." To put it crudely. Unfortunately, that was the reality of many cults borne from the spiritualism boom in the 1920s. People either got bored or got bitter when their prophet couldn't stand and deliver in the face of a catastrophic global event.
You and Ajay entered the theater from the side door to avoid the students who began to flood the halls as the morning trundled toward the first bell. You found Maddie appearing like the second coming out of the center of the stage, followed closely by Wally, then Rhonda, Charley, and lastly, Mina who turned and closed the trapdoor behind her.
"You find anything?" You inquired as Wally neared you, eagerness writ all over his features.
"Yeah!" Wally grinned, planting himself in front of you to band his arms around your waist, "You?"
"The symbols are definitely based on the Futhark alphabet and they're all designed to keep energies in." You said, snuggling into his front, happy to let him take your weight. He shifted you around so you and he could walk toward the stage, everyone gathered around a spot at the end of the center aisle. Rhonda and Charley sat on the edge of the stage, Ajay joined Mina who leaned beside Charley's legs, and Maddie stood with her back to the door, facing everyone.
As soon as you were within reach, she held out a piece of paper, informing you that, "It's a receipt for new band uniforms signed by Mr. Anderson." You scanned the paper, trying to absorb where it fit in the puzzle, but your brain was rapidly losing steam. Seeming to read your fatigue, Maddie interpreted it on your behalf, "I think he's been stealing money from Booster Club. He's got a whole operation under the stage to sew new patches onto old band uniforms."
All you could think to respond with was, "Holy shit."
"It doesn't prove he had anything to do with what happened to me," Maddie went on, "But I think it'll help Simon."
"Maddie this is awesome." You smiled encouragingly and shambled forward to hug her. With your arm still around her shoulders, you and she looked over the receipt again, particularly the cash amount at the bottom, "Is that how much you figure was in the closet?"
"I'd say it for sure is." She answered, her gaze turning a trepidatious sort of hopeful, "It's Friday, so there's a staff meeting tonight. If we give this to Simon, he can prove that Mr. Anderson is guilty of something and then we can try to figure out where my body is. Together."
"Together." You repeated with a grin because, God dammit, finally, you felt like progress was being made. While not the kind of progress you'd hoped for, it was something, and now that you knew Simon could see Maddie, you didn't have to swerve around landmines in conversation to hide your abilities; you could let him in instead.
It was one step closer to bringing Maddie home.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Xavier hated himself more than he had before his breakdown, having succumbed to the siren call of his vape in the dissociative aftermath. He skulked into the school, shoulders up and hands stuffed in his pockets in an effort to make himself invisible. He wasn't going to his first class, wasn't entirely aware of where he was going, but he followed his feet nonetheless. Since the blissful first hit, his mind had quieted some, though his nerves were still ragged, eyes puffy and bloodshot, hair rumpled, a scab on his lip where he'd bitten it too hard to redirect the emotional pain he'd inflicted on himself.
He was distantly surprised to find himself standing in front of the theater when he eventually lifted his gaze from the ground. Without giving it too much thought, he reached out and opened the door, stepping into the shadowy space beyond. For a moment, a cotton-candy static fuzzed across his brain and made it hard to process whether or not what his eyes saw was real.
It couldn't be, could it?
At the end of the center aisle, you stood, body wilted from exhaustion. Around you were incoherent silhouettes that phased in and out of focus, nothing substantial to them, just distorted shadows that seemed out of place against the direction of what muted light filtered into the theater. What made his breath catch and the balloon in his chest swell bigger wasn't you, standing in the dark, or the uncanny shadows, it was—
"Maddie," He croaked, voice reedy and tight, "You came back."
The fuzziness in his head was instantly replaced by fear when his gaze slid to you, an expression on your face—wide eyes, parted lips, furrowed brows—that Xavier readily interpreted as betrayal. The darkness crowded against him, the rampage of wailing curses picked up within him again, screaming at him for how worthless and stupid and vile he was to do what he'd done.
"I-I'm so sorry," He choked out, pushing the words past the balloon that had expanded from his chest into his throat. Maddie's expression didn't change, something akin to alarm or hate or defeat or all three, he didn't know because his vision was beginning to cloud. "I'm so, so sorry." And then he stumbled sideways, falling into one of the empty seats, curling himself into a ball as if he could make himself disappear. Everything would be better, so much better, if he could just...stop being.
Xavier didn't realize he was crying until he felt your hands on him, pushing his arms away from his head, forcing him to kneel on the ground with you.
"Zav? What's happening? Are you okay? Zav!"
Your words sounded spoken through water and he couldn't get his head above the surface, couldn't breathe, couldn't answer, his body wracked violently with stinging sobs as he kept trying to apologize. He grappled at your back, pinned you against him, a buoy to keep him afloat as the waves crashed over him and threatened to pull him down into the cavernous abyss below.
"I'm sorry, please, don't leave me, I'm so sorry," He begged you, but couldn't hear himself, so he repeated it louder and louder until his throat scraped.
This is the moment, a facsimile of Maddie's voice told him, this is the moment you lose everyone.
And then another voice, unfamiliar, louder than Xavier's, louder than Maddie's, began to roar:
💀___________________________
PART TWENTY-THREE - PART TWENTY-FIVE
also available on AO3!
MASTERLIST
#Milo Manheim#Wally Clark#Wally Clark x Reader#fem!reader#Wally Clark smut#Wally Clark fanfiction#Milo Manheim fanfiction#School Spirits#zed necrodopolis#Disney Zombies#October Sun
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Sex, Drugs, Etc.
Warnings: Talk of drugs/Drug use. Possible smut in the future. SH. A lot of plot. EXTREME Canon divergence. Before Maddies time. Set in 2021
I got a lot of inspiration and motivation from @whoopsyeahokay series called October Sun if you haven't read it yet I recommend you do its amazing, you can find it on tumblr and Ao3. October Sun
(This is very self indulgent and based on things ive been through and how I could have very easily ended up as a ghost. This is NOT meant to romanticize addiction or mental illness. This is a judgment free zone so I want no bullying or hate on anyone. I'm not the best writer so be nice)
1.9k Words
Enjoy :)
-
Two days, two fucking days you’ve been rotting and no ones come to find you. Well no one alive at least.
It started off normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Just another boring school day with the same washed out boring people. Tired eyes and even more tired souls. So what changed? A little slip up on the same thing that had almost claimed your life many times over the years except this time no one was there to save you.
You were 14 when you first learned the only way for your brain to stop spinning, trying to find a new way to obtain peace was with a very simple little thing. Weed, this wasn't what was deadly, no it was what started the cycle. First it was weed, then it was alcohol, then it was late night parties, until one day it fell into the palm of your hand. A simple little pill, how could it cause so much damage? Things were fine until one pill turned into two then two turned into three and then you ended up on the patio of a stranger's porch foaming out the mouth. 4 days in the hospital and 2 weeks in rehab was enough to scare you for a while, but not enough to make you forget about the relief that came with it.
That's how you ended up here, sitting in a circle sharing stories about life and death, a group of highschool boys who had no idea you were even there, playing basketball behind you. Should have just gone to group like you were told to, at least then you would have been with people who understood addiction. Now judgmental eyes fall upon you because you caused your own death. As much as you wanted to find someone, something to blame you knew you couldn't, this was your fault. The spinning hasn't stopped. At least ghosts couldn't go through withdrawal, doesn’t change the fact that the empty feeling you tried so desperately to fill is more presint than ever.
The sweet voice of Mr.Martin fills the room. Like white nose until you heard him call your name. Head shooting up to look up at him. “Have you started working on your obituary?” Ah yes, ghost homework. you would have never thought that you would have been asked to write your own obituary yet here we are. Not as easy as it sounds.
“I’ve got some ideas” Like when you got so drunk you threw up on your friends cat, or when you were so high that your brother convinced you the plane flying over your house was a UFO, fun memories. Apparently you were supposed to write about the good parts of your life but that's kinda hard when the only good memories you had were caused by what put you in this situation to begin with.
“Take your time, if you need to im sure some of the others wouldn't mind telling you about what they wrote, for motivation.” You give a simple nod, wanting all the prying eyes around you to look away. And they do, except a certain pair that had been watching you since you got here.
Wally Clark, a sweet boy, bright future, died to soon like everyone else in this fucked up version of your own personal hell. He asked too many questions, it wasn't a secret how you died, just something you didn't want to talk about. He respected that, like most of the others, most. Doesn't stop him from prying, staring with curious eyes.
“I think that's all for today, don't forget tomorrow's movie night as always our newest member will be picking the movie.” You give an awkward smile before standing up and turning to leave along with the rest of the group. Heavy footsteps creeping up behind you and the sound of your name being called stops you as the tall boy catches up.
“So um do you need help with your obituary? not to brag but I think I did a pretty good job on mine.” Wally was quite attractive, tall, with big brown eyes, and slick back brown fluffy hair. No doubt having made girls fawn over him during his lifetime. You and him weren't exactly friends but the idea of having a little help writing… well, a self obituary wasn't bad.
“Sure, we could go to the library.” An excited grin grew on Wallys face, not expecting you to say yes.
“Yeah, yeah the library sounds great” It was kinda cute how he acted sometimes. Not like a typical jock, a pure golden retriever.
“Cool” You stand there kinda awkwardly, hands in the pockets of your red zip up hoodie as you gave him an expecting look.
“Oh like now?” He was somehow the most confident yet most awkward person in the world. “Um okay yeah that works”
You tilt your head sideways towards the door leading out the gym, indicating for him to follow you out. Taking the lead and making your way out, opening the door for him. “Ladies first” He let out a small chuckle at your attempt at a joke, considering it was the first time you really talked to anyone since everything happened. It wasn't that you didn't like people, you just didn’t understand the point of friends. It might sound depressing but having a small group of people that you know will stick around is better than hanging around people that barely know you. Yet here you are, stuck with strangers for eternity or until you finally move on, however long that’ll take.
The hallway was filled with loud teens, some rushing to their next class others going out the back door, more than likely skipping. “So how does this work?” You look over at him.
“What? The afterlife?” He looks at you, a little nervous. “I don’t think im the best person to explain it to you, that's more of Charley's thing.” Charley was sweet, the first person you met when you woke up. Some sort of after life guide.
“No, a self obituary.” The words felt weird coming out your mouth. “I know I'm supposed to write about all the great things in life but I don't think huffing nitrous in my uncles bathroom on thanksgiving really counts as a good memory.”
“Nitrous? like the shit in whipped cream?” He gave you a sideways look, a concerned but humored smile on his face.
“Yes, the shit in whipped cream, I don't recommend. I passed out and almost had a seizure.” As we reach the library he opens the door, allowing you to go in first.
“Okay, maybe don’t include that in your obituary, how about” He thought for a second. “Write about your friends and family, I'm sure you have some good memories with them.”
You let out a frustrated sigh as you sat down at a table, Wally sitting down across from you as you take off your backpack, pulling a pencil and the folder Mr.Martin had given you. “That's too much work, do you think Mr.Martin would notice if I just copied yours?” Wally laughs a little, his straight white teeth showing.
“No, he’ll totally believe that you played football and lost your virginity in your moms car.” Now you’re the one laughing, his sentence coming out way too casually.
“You lost your virginity in your moms car?” You take a few seconds to process before you look at him judgmentally. “You included how you lost your virginity?” Though the smiles’ still apparent on your face.
“Happy memories, remember?” And there's the jock attitude you were waiting for, somehow a bit surprising but not unexpected. “You could just write your feelings.” You have a whole journal for that from when you got sober… soberish.
“This may come as a shock to you but I'm not exactly a feelings person.” Not totally true, it was just easier to not feel anything at all, especially with the situation you're in right now.
“Really? I couldn't tell” The sarcastic tone in his voice very apparent. “Alright fine, if you were happiest when you were high then it's worth writing.”
“Great, so high stories, got it” Though it wasn't the best idea, you had to write something so Mr.Martin would get off your ass about it. Reminiscing was a slippery slope, you were holding up decently so far but contrary to what all the others think it hurt deep down. “How about the first time I tried molly?” Probably one of the best ‘happy pills’ you tried in your lifetime.
“What was it like?” He clearly had no intentions of finding out first hand, just curious of the experience.
“It made me really aware but like in a good way.” There was no real way to describe it without going into depth. “And kinda trippy I guess, does that make sense?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He knew he could never truly understand, no one could unless they experienced it themselves. As you begin to jot down the memory Wally peaks over, looking at the page though it's not very useful due to the fact that he doesn't possess the skill to read upside down.
“Nosey” You laugh a little at his attempt to get to know you better. “You know if you want to get to know me, maybe there are better ways to do it then helping me write my own obituary” Yep, still didn't sound right.
“Oh um yeah, this is probably a really weird first hang out.” He laughs awkwardly at the realization that this is still new to you. It wasn't like he had never been around a new ghost before, he knew he was supposed to be slow, supportive, ease them into it but with the way you acted sometimes made him think you were more used to this than he was. In a way you were, death was something that you had imagined so many times so when it actually came the idea of being trapped wasn't one you hadn't thought of before. “How about after we're done with this I could take you down to the pool?”
You smile, the sentiment was sweet. “Thanks, but I don't know how to swim.” You were never taught and it didn't seem important in life so you just never learned. The surprised look on Wallys face was priceless.
“How the hell are you 18 and don’t know how to swim?” It wasn't judgmental, just a little surprised, but the grin on his face indicated that he had an idea.
“Oh god, what are you thinking about?” You knew what was coming, he wouldn't be him if he didn’t jump at the opportunity to help a new friend. Wally was very readable and you didn’t know if that was a good thing yet.
“I could teach you.” And there it was, of course he wanted to teach you. “It could be fun, plus you don't have much else to do.”
“You know what fuck it, you’re right there isnt shit else to do.” Especially with your body still laying cold in the old abandoned locker rooms aka ‘the brain cave’.
“Great, you should keep writing, the faster you get it over with the less weird it feels.” And that's how it started, you were never the friend type but as much as you hated to say it you needed someone. Sure that someone is very attractive and the idea of seeing him in nothing but swim trunks was a nice image but who could blame you? The afterlife is lonely.
Pt.2
#school spirits#wally clark#wally clark x reader#wally clark fanfiction#wally clark x gender neutral reader#fanfiction#first fanfic#school spirits x reader#milo manheim#milo mannheim#zed necrodopolis#nico alexander#Ben plunkett#x reader#x female reader#reader insert#Sex Drugs Etc#fem reader#ghost#fanfics#first fic#x reader insert#x reader fanfiction#ao3#ao3 fanfic#ao3feed#ao3 writer#young writer#first story#ghost lover
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Love is about details - Zed Necrodopolis x fem!reader
Summary : On a Halloween night, you meet a boy that will soon become your best friend. Until feelings get in the way.
word count : 8.2k
My masterlist ! No major warnings, just reader having an existential crisis mid fic and Zed being a golden retriever.
(Autor's note) : I AM FINALLY ALIIIVVEEE !!! I am soo lazy, I've struggled so much to finish this one. And even when I get ideas, I always end up with those blank page syndrome or with too much drafts on my account.
I hope this fanfic will be liked by some of you, I don't really know where I was going at some point but I couldn't bring myself to delete and do something else ahah. I wanted to do a small fic... Well it ended up with 8k words. ENJOY!!
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You never believed in love at first sight. Hell you even thought it was the most stupid thing the world ever created to entertain Terrians. Maybe you could be really attracted to someone at first sight, because ‘gorgeous’, surely, would be the first word coming to your mind while crossing path someone like Joshua Bassett. But to truly fell in love, you should be able to remember their eye color and describe it as something precious. Or so you thought.
Your first encounter with the boy you would fell in love with was on Halloween. Your friend group thought it would be funny to cross Seabrook’s border to enter Zombietown, something about showing each other that you weren’t chicken-hearted. A stupid teenage idea.
You weren’t interested in those things, but you followed your bestfriend who was a total lab nerd that would smash the Seabrook barrier to see a real zombie outside of your school. Natural habitat analysis thingy going on in her head.
It didn’t last long though, each and every person looked every two seconds behind them and jumped at every street common noise their hears caught.
They finally all went running back to the so called ‘normal side’ when a zombie, woman, screamed at them from the other side of the road. The sound as surprised you so much that your body frooze instantly. Your heart started beating even faster when the door near you suddenly oppened rapidly, making you jump and gasp.
Your eyes met one of a boy, it was easy enought to discern the surprised and concerned look on his face, his gaze looking strangly at you. You were disguised as a zombie for Halloween, well, the kind of zombie filmakers showed in their movies. Torn clothes, messy hair, pale skin with a lot of scars. Not really looking like the young zombie you had in front of you. Green hair styled with skills you surely did not have, grunge clothes, but a nice call on the pale skin.
"What are you doing here ?" His words came out skeptical, for what on earth would a human be on the wrong side of the wall. Well, there was Halloween of course, but nobody ever had the courage to come here.
He had caught on your dressing up, you were a convincing enought zombie for normal people, but not for a zombie apparently. He could admit that your make up was impressive, those scars looked real.
"Hm… Well with Halloween going on, my friends came to scare themself."
His eyebrows raised when you answered him. He was more prepared to receive a scream followed by one of the biggest sprint he’ll ever see. He looked from left to right, but found nothing other than his old, moldy town. "Seems like they got scared, right ?"
His conclusion got a chuckle out of your lips and you nodded your head, looking in the direction your friends took a run for their life. In the back of your mind, you thought about the fact they totally forgot to look out for you. They would be hearing about it for at least the next 10 years. "Yeah, they completely took a run for it."
Your eyes met his again, the situation was quite awkward. For him taking in the sight of a human in front of his house, and for you, who, for the love of the sky above, couldn’t even move to end this nightmare. "I should… Probably get going."
Your eyes lost their way on the scenery around, thinking that you should go home before everyone calls the police to get you out. Your parents would lose their head if they knew something had happened to you. You finally found in you the energy to move a foot when his hesitant voice stopped you.
"Can I ask for your name ?"
You turned around, returning to the spot you were so eager to leave. It took you a few seconds again to gather your thoughts. He wasn’t the one responsible for the fact you were right in front of his door, just stairs away from him. Maybe you were just disturbed by how calm you actually were. You were going to blame the Halloween effect on this one, green haired people weren’t that weird and scary compared to some costume people came up with.
"Huh yeah. I am Y/n." A breeze stopped your own question to let your name simmer in the air. The fact being that you were two people trying to get each other names after a weird encounter and not a girl and a zombie in that very moment felt like something you shouldn’t be allowed to do. Zombies were still hated by your people, they haven’t stopped talking trash about them even when they got welcomed in your school. Change must be scary for humans.
"And you ?" His own mouth went dry, maybe from the exact same fact you realised or from his father's voice hurrying him inside. His words got stuck for a time more, remembering his own name and yours.
"Zed. I am Zed Necrodopolis." He nodded to himself, at least he didn’t mispelled it nor hesitated too much. Zed was friendly to everyone, even when he started his first year at Seabrook high. Yet, having an intruder in Zombie Town had taken him aback, that was quite the shocker. He tried to remember if he ever saw you at school. No, he surely hasn’t… has he ?
A wave of your hand paused his thoughts. He waved goodbye back, looking at your silhouette. Once you were far enough and his father's voice loud enough, he came back inside his sweet little home.
Another idea occurred, did you even know where you were going ?
. . .
The few other encounters were less awkward.
After a good scare endured by your friends who thought you had been devoured by a thousand zombies, deserved. You had to go back to school, tossing aside your friend questions about how the zombie you talked to looked like, smelled like, dressed up like. You couldn’t remember a single thing, just a bunch of green hair that could be seen all around the school now. Or maybe, you just didn’t really want to talk about it.
You crossed paths with him, between classes and lunches. Both too hesitant to talk and too distracted by your talkative friends. You had waved, waved, and waved again at each other. He noticed how you would only use your right hand to greet him, and you acknowledged how dark colors were the ones that suited him most. Your wavery earned a gasp from your bestfriend and a side angry eye from the zombie girl following Zed around.
. . .
Grabbing the library table, your friend looked at you with the biggest eyes possible. "It was Zed Necrodopolis ?" Her voice whispered in disbelief.
She had finally noticed your wavering habits with the zombie after seeing him near the lockers on your way to the library, when you already had done it 10 times today.
You frowned, moving slightly your head like something would jump on you if you moved too much. "You know him ?"
She shook her head with her mouth open in shock, her eyes rolled back in her head. "He’s the one zombie who got into the football team ! Do you live under a rock ?"
"Since you forgot me back in Zombietown, yes. I feel much more secure." You slid your joke with a thin smile and a raise of your features to make your point and annoy her.
She breathed a quiet laugh in your direction with a smile. She was ready to get back at you when a voice interrupted her.
"Hi, sorry to disturb you both, can we sit here ?"
You two looked up from your conversation, locking your eyes with the ones you couldn’t escape even if you tried. Schools aren’t that big after all. Zed was standing here, a zombie girl clearly angry and a taller zombie boy with the biggest smile right next to him.
Your mouth oppened and closed a few times, your words hiding themself in the back of your throat instead of helping you in creating a sentence. You turned to your best friend and saw her eyes popped out of her face, her mouth wide open enough to swallow at least 3 whole families of flies. Her eyes stared in your direction, her face not moving an inche from her surprised and excited features. You didn’t need to ask for her permission, she would beg you to say yes. Slightly nervous, you faced Zed again who was waiting for you with a gentle smile.
"Yeah of course." You slided your chair closer to your wide eyed friend next to you to let the three zombies sit on the three available chair.
When they sat down, silence followed. Zed, who sat on your other side, looked at you with shy eyes. Something that cringed the girl with a messy bun. He discretly waved hello to you, a ritual that seemed to please him more than you could imagine. You waved back discretly, the tiniest ‘hi’ falling from your lips to greet him. His eyes quickly caught the color of your pencil case, f/c. Somehow, he felt like he could have guessed this as your favorite color.
A sigh caught everyone attention and the green haired girl crossed her arms. "Why are we even here ?"
Zed was quick to quiet down any fight he thought could happen due to his friend being grumpy and the two humans girls feeling hurt by her words. "To say Hi." He caught both your attention, introducing his friends. "This is Eliza, don’t mind her she is getting used to human, still. And this is my buddy Bonzo."
Bonzo smile grew even bigger, showing all of his teeth as he raised his hand to say what seemed to be a ‘hello’ or a ‘nice to meet you’ in zombie. Phrased by some ‘zogzigzargzog’, or maybe it was ‘zigzagzargzogzarg’, you couldn’t remember.
"What did he said ?!" Your friend high pitched voice surprised everyone, she was quick to react to Bonzo words. Her hand was nearly breaking her pen by squeazing it too much, her other hand flipping pages of a new notebook you had never seen.
"That’s Lucile. Sorry about her she just really loves zombies for some reasons..." You tried to ease their surprise by introducing your highly excited best friend who seemed to live her biggest dream.
"That’s completely fine." Surprisingly, his words gently eased your mind. Maybe handling both girls wouldn’t be that hard. "He said ‘pleasure to meet you both’. "
You heard her excited gasp before she started writing what she heard. How could she even remember what the other boy said ?
"I only wrote what I heard but could you check ?" Her question was more of an affirmation as she slided her notebook right into Zed’s hands, passing it in front of you. He was careful not to disturb your work while grabbing the book.
His dark orbs looked at you with an amused grin before asking for a pencil, which Lucile gladly and almost throwed at him in a hurry. Getting a scared ‘Jesus !’ from you. "You heard it right, but if I may, here’s the zombie way of writing it."
When he handed it back to her, you were sure she was going to explode on the spot. "You guys have a whole different alphabet to speak zombie ?!"
Zed seemed proud of her reaction, he was cute. You could see in the corner of your eyes Eliza slowly relaxing herself. Maybe she had been worried that you would be as mean as the cheerleaders when they first arrived.
"And twenty-three different ways to write the word ‘brain’. " His head nooded to her in affirmation.
"Oh my god this is awesome ! If you guys can teach me all about it somedays, I want to know everything !"
"We’ll be glad, right ?" He turned to his friends. Bonzo cheered with his usual bright smile while Eliza shrugged her shoulders, mumbling a 'why not'.
You smiled at them, happy that everyone seemed to get quite along for a first encounter. You felt like you didn’t know how to act around Zed, for a fact, you didn’t know each other except for those stolen hi’s after all. You could say that socializing wasn’t really something you were good at.
Zed seemed to notice your shyness, maybe he could help you by showing his friendly side. "Your friend seems great. She’s funny."
You looked up to see his brown eyes looking at you. For some reasons, you were sure that that one sunray directed right to his left eye was there on purpose. "Yeah, she’s the best."
Zed had made the first step toward you, hoping to see bloom a friendship between the fake zombie girl he had seen on his doorstep and himself.
Mainly thanks to Lucile and her inconditional love for zombies, she got the three of them to stay at your table for an hour.
. . .
Day after day, you were gradually seen hanging out with Zed and his crew along with Lucile more and more. Forming a lovely mixed group of five.
You opened up slowly, and conversation started to feel more natural once you knew each zombie better. You didn’t need Zed’s help anymore to feel comfortable, your questionable jokes already sliding in each and every sentence you could form.
Bonzo and Eliza seemed to like you both, even if you couldn’t communicate with the taller boy. You still found ways to understand him and he did the same. Eliza and Lucile both fell for their nerd side, not looking like total polar opposite anymore. Eliza being a zombie was Lucile fuel for knowledge and Lucile being always impressed by Eliza knowledge and technology made her feel understood.
Fast enought, without anyone questioning or noticing it, every single second you could spend glued to Zed became your mission number one every day. You had your routines, your habits, and somehow in the mist of it all, the jocks found his way to be your new and unique routine.
The same could be said for him. Even if Zed would never be ruled by any routines, having you and Lucile gang up with Eliza and Bonzo went from something nice to his essential. Even when the group couldn’t be together, the boy always found his way to you and you to him. He somehow quickly noticed your love for quiet places and books, which made it easier to find you. You were, too, quick to find Zed everytime you were looking for him. His loud voice and love for football were easy enough to spot in every room he could be in.
Free hours in school were spend in his company, lunches were eaten right next to him just so you could mock his choice of food, and you surprised yourself with even seeing him on weekends. Zombies had won freedom for their own actions, seeing your friends was now a piece of cake. You started with simple hang outs with everyone to going to Zed’s house, him to yours, and even to include ice cream rituals in town. You could never be thankful enough for those, especially for the coach's peanut butter n’ bones ice cream.
Your parents never saw you out of the house this often, you could even say that your mom had started to grow a soft spot for the green haired jock. Something you would have gladly erased from your memories if not for those family meal where his name seemed to always end up in.
. . .
That’s why you never believed in love at first sight. For you, you had to know the person, hang out with them and remember everything special about them. You could never have fallen in love by just seeing Zed for the first time next to his crusty door. You believed that love was about details. And this belief would be the one hitting you full speed right in the guts.
. . .
"How can you say that zombies have different eye colors ? They are all bloody brown !" Lucile hands fell on her thighs, smacking them in the process with exasperation.
Your best friend sitting on your bed had talked about her zombie knowledge again for the past twenty minutes, a knowledge you had started to be really interested in recently. She’ll never mention it, but it surprised her when you suddenly asked about their language, culture and even tradition.
You knew a bunch, thanks to your zombies buddies, but Lucile was a goldmine of information. If you wanted to know anything without sounding too weird or suspicious, you knew she was your best option.
Today’s new debate started when Lucile talked about physical differences between zombies, noticing how all hairs weren't exactly the same shade of green. However, she had maintained her statement about their eyes being only a very dark brown.
"No they are not. There are different shades too." You contradicted her again, looking at her notes and judging some of them as enormous lies, just the hater you were.
"Okay, give me an exemple." She moved her hand to invite you to elaborate your point of view, obviously curious to know why you were so reactive to this fact and not any other ones.
"It’s true that Bonzo and Eliza have dark eyes, but Zed doesn’t."
"Oh he does."
"No he does not." You looked at the ceiling, starting to feel frustrated. You let Lucile’s zombies notebook fall on your bed right in front of you both. You chewed your bottom lip before speaking again, your eyes looking at every detail of your room and not at your best friend, who’s gaze didn’t leave you for a second. "Zed’s… Well his eyes are slightly the same color as milk chocolate, only a little darker I'll give you that. And when the sun hits them, they glow with this orangy brown color… Like those pictures you find when typing ‘autumn forest’ on google. Seriously, it’s funny when you think about it."
You looked at your fingers, not giving more thoughts to what you just said. Lucile though, looked at you like you were talking crazy. Her famous wide open mouth and her frowned eyebrows couldn’t believe what she just heard. She knew what you thought about boys or romance, luckily her brain was quick to connect the dots. You always talked about details, for you, love should be remembering their eye color and describing it as something precious. You once told her.
She silenced her gasp, finally understanding why you changed so much recently and why zombies suddenly got your interest when you couldn’t care less before. She never gave second thoughts about your relation with Zed, you both were really good friends who liked to hang out often, if not every single day. (Weird ) And friends who, she thought, were glued by the hips like twins would. But maybe this closeness, at a point in time, crossed a line even you haven’t noticed.
"Pause Y/n, Pause." The sudden seriousness in her tone made you perk up from your nail analysis. You had never seen a face like that on her. It made you overthink the words you have just spoken, could you had said something wrong ?
"Did you heard yourself ?"
"W-What ?"
"I am not angry, nor frustrated, nor scolding you." She tried to easy your mind. "I am only asking, did you heard yourself ?"
"What ? That Zed’s eyes looks like dumb autumn forest pictures ?"
She nodded slowly, biting both her lips in a thin line. "Can you now remind me what you always said about remembering someone’s eyes color."
You felt as if your brain spun on itself and gave your whole body a warning sign while ringing simultaneously the biggest bell that could exist. You gasped loudly, your hands flying fast to cover your mouth. "You are shitting me."
"YOU are shitting me ! Since when ?"
You stood up from your bed, realization striking you. You felt the air becoming colder in your lungs with your heart beating crazier than when it’s an exam day. Your hands felt cold, than hot, than cold, than hot again. You looked back at Lucile who was just as surprised as you, just less freaked out.
"I don’t know ! Oh god it’s bad." You were starting to feel too freaked out by this new revelation. Luckily, the scent of your room and being a calm person on a daily basis helped you step out of your mind roller coaster faster.
"I mean, you always go out together. Maybe that made it harder to notice."
Another, but tiniest, gasp escaped you. "We have an ice cream thingy tomorrow." Lucile could hear tiny ‘it’s bad’ coming from you and ‘oh god’ ‘s.
"I never undertood that ritual, every week ? Ice cream ?"
"You’re right, I am calling in sick. " You were ready to grab your phone when she snatched it away.
"First, we are going to talk about this, analyze things and won’t freak out, okay ? It is not as bad as it looks."
"I am not that freaked out, and yes it is bad. Not falling for your, other, best friend is like an unbreakable rule."
"So you are in love with Zed ?"
"I absolutely did not say that."
The girl frowned again, even with your calm demeanor you stayed in a total denial mindset. You always loved romance, but it seemed like it wasn’t the thing you were expecting to crash into your life right now. Or maybe your weren’t expecting to fall for Zed. She stretched out her hand for you to take, encouraging you to come back on the bed. You sighed, taking it before sitting back on your bed, a light sadness building in your chest.
"Can we talk about zombies culture instead ?"
"If you want, but before we’re going to dig into that little heart attack moment you just had."
"It’s just… Like I said, we’ve been like best friends lately and I just feel like I am betraying him." Your eyes met hers, a sad expression painting your features. "It’s like I am asking too much out of him. We’re friends, and now feelings get in the way and I’ll start acting weird because now I am aware of it. And what if I get even more into my head and he just feels weirded out, rejects me of some sort. I still want to hang out with him."
"Wow you got the time to think about all of that in just a minute ?" Her sentence teared the tiniest chuckle out of your lips. Lucile squeezed your hand, trying to keep you grounded in any ways she could. "I think you should be kinder to yourself. It happens to fall for friends, even if it changes things, ultimately. It is not a bad thing."
"Why him though … ?" Your question was more of a frustrated and sulking sentence to show how surprised you were.
She laughed. "I should ask you girl !"
And you followed her laughter. Maybe you got ahead of yourself and got slightly carried away by the new realisation, just maybe. You talked a bit more with Lucile, and you were thankful for her patience and the way she understood your point of view. Even if she thought that Zed looked like a very green and moldy potato, which made you laugh. She even teased you by saying how your mom would be happy to hear the news, making you grunt another slight laugh.
You knew the boy for nearly a year now, blossoming feelings shouldn’t be surprising when you knew deep down how good he looked. Getting to know each other and your souls clicking together like you just lost a thousand years finding the person that could make you spit out your whole stomach laughing along with flipping your whole mood upside down with just a word should have been a warning sign. You had fallen in love with Zed Nerodopolis.
. . .
The next day went smoothly, even if you had to mentally scold yourself every now and then because you kept looking at Zed for no reasons. You tried to brush your new feelings off, acting like usual with maybe less confidence.
He noticed, and you hopped it was just once. "Do I have some ice cream left on my face ?" A finger pointed toward his face, he stared at you.
"Nop. Not at all."
"Oh, I thought. Since you can’t stop staring." You caught on his teasing tone, his smile already trying to get under your skin just so you would say something back to him.
Usually, you would have laughed and made fun of him for suspecting you of staring. But now, all his sentences and smirks did were increasing your heartbeat and wished that your cheeks haven’t turned a deeper shade of red.
. . .
The next week at school, you thought you were doing a good job at hiding anything your heart was begging to let out. You denied with force the fact you avoided your usual safe spots to study or read, knowing full well Zed would be waiting or searching for you there. You couldn’t avoid him everywhere and everytime though, you both were too familiar with each other schedule and you could tell the boy sensed something different coming from you.
Trouble knocked at your door when Eliza found you in a room you wouldn’t usually want to be, the cheerleaders rest room. Bree offered you this refuge when Bucky and his henchmen weren’t around, nobody ever spilled the beans and you were grateful for that.
The door opened with a certain force and hurry, making you jump on your sit. Eliza stared right into your soul and a long silence followed before her voice came out of her throat.
"What is going on ?"
"What ?"
"Please don’t play dumb with me." She closed the door behind her, guarding the entrance to prevent any escape tricks from you. "Zed’s been whining all day long because you are avoiding him."
"I am not, we just saw each other." Lying wasn’t your best ability but you still tried to convince her of your enormous lie.
"According to him, he haven’t seen you since lunch." Her eyes were big, and it felt like your mom was giving you a life lesson. With this eye contact, you knew she wouldn’t be fooled by you. You always spend the next hour with Zed because of your free period in common. And for some reason, you could tell everyone noticed your change in character, even if you had tried to minimize it. "And we both know that you’ve been very discret and absent lately." And here it goes, you were doomed. "I’ll ask again, what is going on ?"
You growned in frustration and embarassement. "I don’t want to talk about it..." Running a hand over your face, you closed your laptop tossing it in your bag.
You didn’t see Eliza concerned look. "Is it something serious ? About your family or did something bad happened ?"
You were grateful for her concern, it showed you once more that the girl you first met in the library was now one of your friends.
"No, no. Nothing major. Just something really troublesome for me."
"And it has to do with Zed ?"
"H-How do you even get there when asking for my family seconds ago ?" You blushed once more, wishing you would have wore a turtleneck sweater to hide your face.
"I promise I won’t tell him, I just think we could all help you if we had some idea of what’s happening." Even trapped in the room you would have thought of a good hiding place, you knew Eliza was telling the truth and genuinely wanted to help you. You were thankful for Lucile too who haven’t said anything. With all the time she spends with the zombie girl, you always wondered if she could have let it slipped up accidentally.
You sighed, fighting your own hesitation about telling the truth or denying your crush for the rest of your life. Maybe it was time to take a step forward and get some advice from someone who knew Zed for a long time.
"I like him." You were quick to pronounce those words, afraid they would run away from you and make you lose your courage.
Eliza surprised face chased away the words she was about to say, ‘yeah, we know.’ The look on your face showed her it wasn’t the type of like you used to feel month before.
"Oh, like… Love like ?"
"I know I shouldn’t."
"I did not said that."
You pursed your lips, averting your eyes from hers. Somehow, telling Zed’s long time best friend your feelings for him was as hard, not really, as telling him. You were scared of Eliza already knowing the boy opinion on the question and that her words would come and cut every string you had tightly knotted.
"You’ve realised it last week ?" Your head nodding to her words confirmed her suspicions. After all, you’ve started making yourself more discreet a week ago. "And why not telling him ?"
"We’re best friend ! It will ruin our friendship for sure."
"And if it does not ? Maybe he feels something for you too." She didn’t want to talk for Zed, but she knew him. Even without telling her a word of his feelings, she noticed how he cared and looked out for you. If he wasn’t even the tiniest bit in love… Well screw him.
"He does not."
It felt like talking you out of your thoughts was out of the question. "If you say so, but I am warning you, he is behind the door and ready to follow you for the rest of the day."
You chuckled, shaking your head at the image of Zed almost going crazy behind the door. "I am ready for it captain."
Eliza sighed desperately at your words while you stood up, opening the door to reveal a Zed who haven't heard a thing from your girl talk.
"Oh my god finally ! I was starting to think that I should add you on my Christmas wish list to see you again." The zombie girl nearly got the time to step out of the room when the boy charged in to stand himself right in front of you.
"So I am a Christmas present now ? I knew you wanted me." His rolling eyes and frustrated features won a giggle out of you. At least your feelings didn’t wipe out your sense of humor.
"On a serious note, is everything okay ? » His tone instantly made your amused smile drop, you could see the worry in his eyes and what your avoidance made him experience. You felt like a fool.
"Yes, I promise. I just had a lot on my mind recently, but now I realise, nothing worth putting my friends aside."
Eliza stayed out of view but heard your words, it made a sweet smile grew on her lips.
"Of course it wasn’t worth, should I remember you that we are the best ?" He waited for you to confirm his words and your shaking, amused head gave him just that.
"Yes, I am sorry. Come here stinky dork." Your circled his body with your arms right below his chest to encourage him into a hug.
He chuckled at your attitude, something he had missed over the past days. His own arms came around your shoulders to pull your head into his chest, ever so careful to never squeeze you too hard.
Eliza cough made him turn his head and your own tried to look at the girl by sticking out your head from his warm hug.
"Don’t forget about the zombie party tonight." She raised her eyebrow at her zombie fella.
"Of course I won’t." His smile and nod was her cue to leave.
"You guys are having a party in Zombietown ?"
His gaze came right back to you. "Yes, I was going to invite you."
"And what made you wait that long ? " Your quirked eyebrow painted his face with false surprise, tease floating all around in the air. You freed yourself from his grasp, crossing your arms on your chest.
"Huh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that I couldn’t find you around school anymore ?"
"I deserve that one. But you could have texted me."
"I am a gentleman. If I ask a girl out, I at least put the tiniest bit of effort."
"That is the tiniest bit of effort for sure. Where are the flowers and the knee on the ground to beg me to accompany you ?"
He shook his head and his right arm came back on your shoulder to bring your body out of the room with him. "I am still pretty hurt by having been pushed away by my bestest friend, so no flowers and no chivalry demand for you. Maybe a next time. "
"So there will be a next time ?" Your sly smirk reminded him of why you both were impossible to put up with when together. The endless back and worth was inevitable. It almost looked like the other would lose the biggest battle of their life if they didn’t respond.
"You hope for a next time huh ? I got you girl." You called it quit on that one when you felt your heart scream, yet again, for the fourth time since the conversation started .
. . .
The day soon came to an end, and you heard your mother's voice calling you from downstairs.
"Comin’ !"
You applied another spray of perfume before going down the stairs at a rapid pace, the entrance hall already opened to let you take in the sight of a waiting Zed.
"Here you are honey." Your mother rested a hand on your shoulder when your body stopped next to her. She surely had been talking with Zed while you were in the bathroom. "I wish you both a good time, but be home before midnight, got it ?"
"No problem Mrs.L/n, I am sure we’ll be home before midnight since she gets sleepy pretty quickly." His eyes shared a reassuring look to your mother, but you knew better than to be fooled by a Necrodopolis. You could see under this sweet and gentleman smile of his that he was gently making fun of you.
"I am pretty sure I will not." You retorted, your head moving childishly.
Zed was amused by your usual picked on reaction and smiled even more. You didn’t noticed it, nor him, but your mother quickly looked at the both of you with a suspicious look. She was used to your forever gentle bickering with the zombie, but she could swore she felt something unusual.
"Even though, midnight it is." You mumbled a fake annoyed ‘Yes mom’ before taking your leave with the boy right next to you.
The walk until Zombietown was filled with lively conversations, yet again, reminding yourself not to look too closely or too often slipped your mind every single time.
"I can’t wait, zombies party really are the best."
"I am glad you think that. I am pretty sure the first time I brought you to one you almost got a heart attack."
He didn’t mean to fully tease you, but you took the bait anyway. "You know I can’t really handle a lot of people ! But now it’s okay, I am used to it." You tried not to sulk, even the slightest, but you still huffed like a sulking puppy.
He smiled, feeling his chest warm up in your presence each step he took. The week he spends, mostly, without you almost got him into a crazy teenage frenzy. He felt like he had lost his north star and that no path could ever bring him back to you. He had wondered, just for a second, if the feelings he felt for you could be painted by many other meanings. But as a best friend, he denied them and acted like nothing changed.
"We’re here, let’s go inside."
To be sure you wouldn’t get lost or trapped in a wave of young zombies, he took your hand in his, clearing a path for you while he had tucked you closer to him.
In the middle of it all, you could have swore your eyes caught a glimpse of Eliza bun. You were quickly diverted from that thought by Zed who tried to find a quieter spot for you to enjoy the party. The old building room was crowded, he opted for a spot near the huge escape door, enough for you to enjoy the musics and people energy without getting overwhelmed. However his attempt drowned as quickly as he got to the corner he wanted when you spotted Bonzo.
"Look it’s Bonzo mixing ! Let’s get closer !"
"Don’t you prefer to stay here ?" His hand prevented you from leaving without him.
You turned around, realizing he just did all this room search for you. You felt your heart flipping in your chest along with you cheeks turning slightly pink, that detail had completely gone over your head.
"For this once, I’ll take the zombie heat full speed ! Come on !"
You dragged the boy along with you while he murmured ‘Why don’t you take my heat full speed’ under his breath, a sentence you couldn’t possibly hear with all that noise. Once near the stage, the boy you were excited to see locked eyes with you and started waving at you two.
"Y/n’ska !" His voice got caught by his microphone making you laught. You raised your free hand as high as you could, waving it and cheering for him. He greeted you with a tumb up before turnig his attention back on his tech.
You turned your head to center your attention on Zed again, only to see his gaze already focused on you. For some reason, it felt like his eyes haven’t left you even when you had waved to Bonzo. Your lungs warned you of a lack of air before new notes of musics reached your ears. A gasp made you breath again and a look of excitement took over your features when your head turned in every direction to look at the old speakers.
"Oh my god it’s that song from Hotel Transylvania !" Your hand let go of Zed’s, only acknowledging the fact that you didn’t let go sooner now. "They usually don’t play that kind of songs." You offered him a confused look, only for his smile to grow wider. You remembered yourself vibing to the song before the lyrics laughed at you because you were, indeed, in love with a monster now.
"I may or may not gave some of your playlist to Bonzo." His voice perfectly covered the song, making you able to only hear him.
You felt the floor slip under your shoes even if your body didn’t move an inch. "Why would you do that ?"
"Because I know how much you love the songs you listen to on a daily basis. I just thought it would make you happy to hear them here too."
‘Cause I’m in love with a monster.
You bit your lower lips, your heart ready to explode. You were going to let ip slip up, the words threatened to blurp out.
Friends say I’m stupid and I’m out of my mind, but without you boy I’d be bored all the time.
"You dance ?" You offered him the same hand you had taken away from him.
"How could I say no."
Everyone danced around you and Zed and even if you weren’t that good of a dancer, you allowed yourself to bounce around like you would do in your room. Your partner successfully made you drop some coordinated moves along with him. For a few seconds, it didn’t felt like a huge and moldy old building filled with hormones and sweats. You were in your own little world where only your best friend was allowed to appear when he made you twirl and move along with him.
The song soon ended to reveal another one that you knew a little bit too well. You turned around once more to look at Bonzo vibing behind his soundboard. Zed took the chance to offer a thumb up to his bro who looked up for a second, he quickly hid his hand when you looked once again at him.
"You’re joking..." Your voice wasn’t audible with all the fuss, and he didn’t noticed your lips slightly moving with intoxicating emotions.
"What ? Told you we choose some of your favorite songs !"
He was doing it on purpose, he had to. His voice started to sing along with the song, both his hands now holding yours to make you dance out of you surprise.
A shaky sigh escaped from your mouth, you weren’t sure your body could follow more of his tricks and energy, nonetheless, you tried to dance a bit more.
‘You and me belong together all the time.’
Soon his energy got to you, and you couldn’t help but sing along as he made you twirl more and swing from left to right. You laughed a few times when his foot got tangled in the weird choreography of other people, making him move a bit less for a few seconds.
His body towered over you, and he leaned closer to sing along with your voice, "This love is all we need !" He seemed so happy, so caught up in what was hapenning. He enjoyed this moment with you, he even went as far as asking Bonzo to add songs you loved to the party. It was the details even you didn’t notice, how on the way here he had looked to see if you weren’t cold, how he had searched for a quiet place so you wouldn’t get overwhelmed. How he remembered and kept the playlist you showed him.
And from those little things, greater gesture from him came to your mind. You weren’t the only one paying attention to all the little things about him, he was paying attention to you too.
Screw your denial, you couldn’t take it anymore. You couldn’t hide nor lie a second more, your body wouldn’t allow it. « Gar gargiza ! »
Zed had stopped moving nearly at the same time as you, his eyes widened with his mouth slightly open in shock. He felt his mouth turning dry, yet, he swallowed what seemed litres of saliva. "What did you say ?" He had to make sure, he had to hear it again.
You bit your lower lip, frustrated and scared, your body slightly shaking. "Gar gargiza you dumbass !"
"You know what that means right ?"
"Oh my god I am going to kill you ! I love you Zed, and I am going crazy about it !"
As soon as the word left your lips, his arms quickly squeezed you in the biggest, neediest hug you had ever received. You squeezed him as hard as you could before he, as quickly, pushed you from him, his hands tightly holding your arms.
"Tell me I can kiss you." You eyes widened at his words, and the seconds you took to respond were enough to burn out his patience. "Please." He begged.
You felt an urge, the same one Zed’s was trying to suppress to give you space and time to think. Your hands reached to his neck, landing on his skin as you stood on you tiptoe in a quick motion. Your lips touched his. It was a rushed move that ended as soon as you tasted him. However, he didn’t want to let you go just yet. His own hands rapidly but gently grabbed the back of your head to stop you from moving too far away from him, and with a last glance at your sparkling eyes, he kissed you. This time longer, sweeter. He wanted to remember the taste of your fragile lips, he wanted to stay connected to you as long as he could. He was tender and soft against you, keeping you close yet never too strongly so you could stop him at any given moment.
He felt his last bit of control being sucked out of him when your lips moved against his. He parted from you, against his will, your eyes almost pulling him again in your touch. He looked all around him, and you wondered what was happening. Your brain had completely pushed the off button and you were barely emerging from your ecstasy when Zed hand tugged you across the room.
"W-Where are we going ?"
It took him only a few seconds to find the exit. "Sorry to drag you out, but I can’t stay in there."
You soon found yourself in a smaller room that still seemed pretty big for both of you. He turned around to face you, his hand pulling you against him as his forehead touched yours. "I love you Y/n, so so much. I don’t know why it even took so long for me to say it."
His words hit you like a truck, he had rushed you out but you now understood why. You too wanted a moment alone with him, to finally know what it feels to be loved by him. What it feels to be loved by you.
"Maybe the fact that I avoided you because I was scared of my own feelings." You breathed heavily because of the run the boy put you through, it was hard to follow mister long legs with your tiny ones.
He laughed at the inside joke you made, remembering how he had bugged you about that exact fact today. "You were ?"
"Didn’t want to lose my best friend." You confessed with teary shining eyes. Even if it wasn’t the case anymore, you could have lost him back there. His hands made their way to your cheeks, smoothing the skin under your eyes to chase any tears that threatened to pour.
"Me too." His voice admitted soon after you. "But look, now you have a lover who happens to be your best friend of all time."
You exhaled an amused breath. "Girlfriend boyfriend huh ?" You wanted to keep on saying those words, and you wanted him to keep on approving what you thought.
Luckily, Zed knew you like the back of his hand and was aware of the things going through your head. "Y/n L/n, my sweet and beautiful girlfriend." He won another shaky smile from you. "Come here gorgeous, I haven’t had enought of your kisses."
With the slightest force, he brought your face to his to smother your lips with a million kisses. It made you laugh against his skin, and he soon pampered kisses all over your face.
"S-Stop ahah !"
"Never."
Your hands grabbed his wrist to show your, non-existent, protest. When he attacked your lips again with quick kisses, your own opened to surprise him with a bigger and even more needy kiss. Your move worked as his face stepped back with a really surprised look.
"What was that ?"
"What was what ? " You played dumb, earning a childish smile from him.
"What was that big kiss just now ? Were you trying to bite me ?" He kissed the corner of your mouth, giggling with you.
You took him in your arms, resting your head on his chest. His breathing appeased your emotions and thoughts, and you sensed the same could be said for him as his head came to rest on yours.
"Can I sleep at you place tonight ?" His demand was quiet.
"You’ll have to ask my mom."
"She loves me, of course it's going to be yes."
You sighed, of course she would say yes to Zed, it was Zed."She spoils you too much... "
#disney zombies#milo manheim#zed necrodopolis#zed necrodopolis x reader#fanfiction#zombies#fem reader#x reader#fanfic#zombies fanfic#disney movies#disney#z o m b i e s#imagine#masterlist
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ACCIDENTALLY ON
PURPOSE
Fandom / Zombies
Paring / Zed Necrodopolis x Fem!Reader
Prompt / accidentally confessing feelings ; longing stares
Summary / a hot guy likes you fr‼️ DOESNT THAT SOUND GRAND?!
Word Count / 971
Gif by / @megedonnelly
Prompt / @luvfae
Seconds left on the clock. Which is counting down the last few seconds of the most important game of my life. This game determines if I have what it takes to play football at Mountain College.
“Alright team, we only have 25 seconds on the clock. Zed, if you make this, we win,” Coach says wearily as we are timed out.
Just hearing Coaches voice, I can tell he’s nervous. I mean, yeah I am too. This is my big game. If I don’t get into Mountain College I won’t be with Y/n.
Yeah, yeah, I know! Y/n isn’t even my girlfriend yet. But she’s so smart, and witty, and the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on.
Okay Zed! Focus.
“Alright Wynter, I need you too be open in the center field so Maximus can throw you the ball so you can try to make the touchdown,
but if that doesn’t work try and pass it to me,” I instruct.
We get into position, the whistle blows.
Our quarterback starts us off, “White 80, hut hut!”
Wynter catches the ball and makes her way over but get tackled in the process. But she was able to pass it to me. I turn to switch my Z-band.
Seven seconds left..
The ball brushes against my fingers. But I catch it.
Six seconds left…
I use all my speed to run to the end zone.
Five.
I duck and jump over the opposing teams players.
Four.. Three… Two….
One!
I land in the end zone on the very last second.
“And the Seabrooks Mighty Shrimp have done it again! They have won the last game of the season!”
The cheerleaders are doing their thang, while the crowd goes wild.
“Seabrook! Seabrook! Seabrook!!!”
My friends and family go out for celebratory frozen yogurt. Bonzo, Bree and I are sitting at a table together. And the Acy’s and the rest of the cheer squad are talking about whatever is amusing to them.
“Actually Bonzo.. I don’t have the answer to that,” Bree stated.
Just as I start my sentence, the door to the fro-yo spot jingles. And a pair of blue converse enter the establishment.
“Hey guys!” Y/n say with a cheerful tone.
“OrR!!” Bonzo greets. Meanwhile I can’t get a single word out of my mouth. She makes my brain mush.
“Congrats on your win Zed,” She says with a smile as she takes a seat next to me. All I can do is blink and stare.
“T- hank you,” I mumble in awe of her presence. Gosh I’m such an idiot. But overall she seem amused.
“Welp I’m gonna get my frozen yogurt..” Y/n says getting up from her seat.
“Oh here! Let me pay for it,” I suggest. I jumped out of my seat and grab her hand. Walking over to the register.
“You really don’t need to pay,” She reassures.
“No, no, no I got it Y/n,” I confirm.
Once we since sit back down, Bonzo and Bree have gone outside, leaving just us two to talk. And Y/n continues to eat her fro-yo. I find it funny that the most outgoing, and spirted person I know loves the most basic flavor there is. Vanilla.
I’ve had feelings for Y/n the moment I locked eyes with her on my very first day at Seabrook. I figured that she would be like everyone else and harass me for being me. But she was the opposite.
She treated me with such kindness. She would volunteer to help me with my work if it was something I haven’t learned at Zombie school.
Or if Eliza and Bonzo would pair up for a project and I didn’t have one, she would immediately sit next to me. Making her my partner for most of the projects we’ve done.
Snapping out of my daydream I look up at her again. But this time she has some vanilla yogurt on the right side of her mouth.
Out of instinct (and a very messy little sister) I go to wipe it off of her.
“Oh you have some—” I start.
The only thing is, she turned her head towards me a little more than expected. Making my thumb press against her lips.
Our eyes meet. I’m blown away. No air left. We don’t break apart. I keep my thumb on her lips, gently stroking it.
I can’t tell if I’m imagining it or not, but I see the same passion in her eyes. Just like when I’m looking in the mirror practicing what I’m going to say to her.
Moving my hand, I place my hand on her cheek.
“Thank you,” She says in a whisper. Not once looking away from my eyes.
“No prob,” I reply with a smile.
Gravity pulls us closer and closer.
“God she’s so beautiful—”
She laughs softly, “You think so?”
huh? OH.
“Did I say that out loud?”
She nods sweetly.
“Oh yeah, mhm yea— I 100% meant too. Like I kne- like I know that I did. I was just making sure that YOU— know that I did—” I stutter out, trying to keep my cool.
She interrupted, “Zed, I know what you mean, really.”
“It’s just that I really really like you. I have since freshman year. I don’t know why I haven’t told you. Well actually yes I do. You make me so nervous. Like everything you do makes me flustered,” I confess with speed.
I can tell my words are making her flustered. She looks down but I use two fingers to push her head back up.
“I — I like you too Zed,” She says in a shy tone.
My smile begins to get bigger, “Well you should let me take you out sometime.”
“I’d like that,”
Mind you, we were still holding hands.
end 🫶🏾
#zombies#disney#zed necrodopolis#Zed necrodopolis x reader#x reader#blurb#fem!reader#zombies 3#love a black woman from infinity to infinityyyy#shifting#aestethic#aestheitcs#spotify#Zed necrodopolis x black!reader
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SOMEDAY
FANDOM. disney zombies
CHARACTER. addison wells x fem! zombie reader
PRONOUNS USED. she/her
SUMMARY. zombies have been allowed to attend seabrook high but are forced down into the dirty basement, away from everyone. zed necrodopolis wants to try out for the football team and talks his friend into going outside with him. turns out, it is the best decision y/n has ever made.
WORD COUNT. 1,633
GIF MADE BY. @megedonnelly
The town of Seabrook had always seemed like a tight knit community. The citizens did tend to know everyone around them as well as everything that went on. Each person in the community was different but they all shared a hatred for zombies and anyone who was not human. That’s how Y/N L/N grew up, the fear of someone harming her present in her everyday life. She dreamed for a bright and better future filled with love—but never had believed it would come true.
Sure, there were the occasional humans who were more understanding but that was pretty rare. She never thought that anyone would love her romantically due to her being a zombie but she hoped that would change once her first day at Seabrook High came around. The fact that her kind was able to attend was a huge step for them and she was proud to be one of the firsts. However, she still had that sense of fear and worry coursing through her.
The green haired girl snuck around with her best friend, Zed Necrodopolis. She was not sure how she’d let him talk her into leaving the basement with him. How had the two of them not gotten caught yet? She honestly didn’t know but didn’t want for them to. She couldn’t help but to look around at the stairs that were nearing. Y/N frowned when Zed’s taller frame stopped walking. “Is everything okay,” she asked simply.
He turned around with a smile on his lips. “I am going to try out for the football team. Do you want to come with me? I know you were interested too.”
Zed’s words were true—Y/N had wanted to be part of the football team rather than the cheer team. The zombie was just too scared to go through with it since they weren’t the most popular in the school. There were lots of people who were either afraid of them or wanted to potentially hurt them in some way. The girl thought about it before having a final answer. She shook her head, signaling that she didn’t want to follow.
Her best friend understood her worries but he tried to be more on the optimistic side of things. It’s the only attitude that would get zombies more accepted in society. “Alright, you don’t have to. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
With that, Zed made his way to the football field, which left Y/N in the hallway alone. He was excited for this so she didn’t try to stop him or anything. She soon heard the sounds of footsteps nearing so the girl turned to run in the opposite direction, not wanting to be seen. She needed somewhere to clear her mind—her internal wish finally coming true as she came across the “Zombie Safe Room.”
Y/N couldn’t help the eye roll that came but made her way into the room regardless of any negative thoughts she had about it. Did this count as a bad idea? Probably.
The green haired zombie walked around to take in her surroundings. Once she got to the other end of the room, she sat down on the ground. It wasn’t very comfortable but she thought it was better than being in that basement. “Why is it always us,” She quietly questioned herself aloud.
She allowed her thoughts to run wild inside of her brain which helped pass the time. She wasn’t sure how long she planned to be in there but she’d have to come out eventually. It wasn’t like she could hide away forever, at least not in the room she was in. Each of her thoughts were about her kind and their future. She was so deep and lost in her mind that she almost didn’t hear the sound of an alarm going off—it was the rogue zombie alarm.
Y/N sighed before standing up. “Zed, what did you do?”
She hesitantly started to move her body but stopped once she heard the door open and close again. Who was in there with her? She was curious…she just didn’t want to draw any attention to herself. The girl wasn’t really paying attention to her surroundings and it wasn’t long before she tripped over a book that was on the floor.
Her eyes widened and she heard the person gasp, it sounding like a girl.
“Who’s there,” The voice called out.
Y/N slowly stood up straight and took a deep breath. “H-Hello? I’m sorry if I scared you.” Her words held sincerity and she felt bad about tripping. Honestly, she felt like she should have looked around before doing anything.
“It’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting anyone to be in here. Hey, are you new here? I don’t recognize your voice.”
The zombie smiled to herself before giving a simple response. “Yes, it’s my first day.” The fifteen year old didn’t know what else to say if she was being honest. The girl could be a little awkward depending on the situation. It was something that her loved ones knew very well and they were used to it. Zed and Eliza were always teasing her about it, but she didn’t mind.
She hadn’t realized but her fingers had begun absentmindedly twisting through her hair. It was something that the zombie did a lot.
“I’m Addison.”
Hearing the words was comforting to Y/N as she could now place a name to the person in the room. She then moved a little closer to Addison in order to get a better look. As soon as she set her eyes on the human, her brain seemed to stop working. She thought that the blonde haired teen was beautiful, it being one of the first things that went through her head.
The green haired teen was able to gather her words. “My name is Y/N—it’s nice to meet you.”
She didn’t know where it came from but she felt a wave of confidence crash in her. Y/N’s body slowly moved closer to Addison and it wasn’t long before she was in front of her, a little ways back though. The zombie hoped it would be too dark for the human to see that she was a zombie but that was ruined once the alarm stopped and the lights soon turned on.
The sight of a zombie caused Addison’s eyes to widen and her body reacted almost immediately. She let out a shriek before she slapped Y/N’s cheek, not realizing what she was doing. It wasn’t until the zombie had grabbed her cheek in pain that the blonde’s brain understood what had happened. That was when she felt the immense guilt spark inside.
Addison frowned before apologizing, “I am so sorry—I have just always been taught that zombies are these monsters. You don’t seem like that though.”
Those words seemed to throw the zombie off at first but she couldn’t help the smile that slipped past her lips. She was interested in the human, that’s what she was sure of in that moment.
“I understand, there’s been a lot of negative things told about us but we just want to live in peace.” The fifteen year old had always wanted for that to happen; peace among the human and supernatural worlds was not a likely occurrence so her parents had kept expectations realistic.
Sometimes it felt like she was a mix of each of her friends; optimistic at times but also a believer in the realism. It was something she didn’t mind but the zombie did often enjoy Zed and his wanting to change things for all zombies. It was surely a goal to strive for!
The Wells girl nodded, confirming what Y/N had just told her. It was terrible that people were so quick to judge without knowing the person or group of people being judged. She knew what it felt like to not fit it—at least to feel like you didn’t fit in. The fact that she’d been taught to hide her hair and wear a wig, it was something she had tried getting used to but just couldn’t.
Addison went to speak but was interrupted by the safe room door opening; it was the Acey’s and her cousin Bucky. She glanced towards Y/N but didn’t have time to give her a saddened expression. The blonde did not want to stop talking to the other teen. Addi had honestly forgotten that they were at the High School for a couple of seconds. That’s how much she had enjoyed the girl’s being there with her.
The group of four walked closer to the two girls with looks of disgust present on each of their faces. It made Y/N feel like she had done something wrong even though she’d not. The feeling of hands pushing her back caused her to stumble and she noticed that it had been Bucky’s doing. The smell of hand sanitizer filled the room afterwards. It was as if the older male was afraid of getting a disease from her.
“What are you doing associating with a zombie?” Bucky’s obnoxious voice filled the silence but he didn’t give Addison any time to respond.
He snapped his fingers and the next thing the blonde knew, she was being carried away from the zombie teen by the Tracey and Stacey. The cheer captain gave Y/N one last dirty look before he and Lacey followed the others outside of the room.
A sigh was given but all the teen could think about was Addison; her smile, her eyes, her kindness. It was refreshing to the zombie girl and she could feel a familiar emotion swell inside of her—happiness. She wanted to get to know the blonde better…she had to. She had never met anyone like her before so it made sense.
Maybe they could be something, someday.
#disney zombies#disney#addison wells#disney zombies imagines#addison wells x reader#zombies imagine#disney imagine#addison x fem! reader#addison zombies#addison zombies imagine#meg donnelly
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Disney Masterlist
Descendants
Ben Florian
Happily Ever Afters - Based on this request: “Ben x VK!Reader. Soulmate AU where the bad things you think about yourself are marked on your soulmate's skin. Reader only has 1-2 things because Ben has a good life. Ben has around half a dozen. During the lake scene they notice Ben is their soulmate and try but fail to hide it thinking he deserves better” Soulmates AU
Carlos de Vil Masterlist
Harry Hook
One Story Leads to Another - Based on this request: “AU where everyone is "chosen" to be parts of fairytales. Heroes get love ballads and villains get traditional villain songs. Reader and Harry are friends on the isle and get chosen for a story, and are both super excited because they think they'll both be villains together. So imagine their surprise when they get their first song together and it sounds an awful lot like a love song.” Imagine
So In Love That You Acted Insane - Based on this request: “Harry Hook x reader based on 'the way I loved you' by taylor swift. Childhood friends to lovers, to strangers to lovers again” Imagine
Jay
Reaching - Based on this request: “Jay x Fem! Reader. Jay coming behind reader holding her waist while reaching to get her something she was struggling to get off the top shelf” Imagine
How to Train Your Dragon
Hiccup Haddock III Masterlist
Teen Beach Movie
Butchy Masterlist
Seacat Masterlist
Z-O-M-B-I-E-S
Willa Lykensen
Family Woes - Based on this request: “Willa has a younger sister y/n. her and the wolf pack are overprotective and y/n can’t leave their sight. So y/n runs away and the pack finds her and they make up and live happily ever after” Oneshot
Wyatt Lykensen Masterlist
Zed Necrodopolis Masterlist
#disney#disney imagines#disney x reader#disney oneshot#zombies#zombies masterlist#disney masterlist#masterlist#z-o-m-b-i-e-s#z-o-m-b-i-e-s masterlist#descendants#descendants imagines#descendants x reader#descendants oneshot#descendants masterlist
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The Almighty Masterlist
Okay so like 99% of the fics are not mine, so I’ll credit the writer too (and you can go check their work out, because some of these are GOLDEN). And I will be linking my fav fics here because I’ve got 200 fics on here as of now (but all other fics are tagged with the character that they’re about so you can find them and read them).And they will be in chronological order of reblog, because I’m lazy, mostly. All these are character x reader/oc self-inserts.
If you read any of the fics below, make sure to like and reblog them and show the writer your support with a comment, doesn’t matter if it’s a simple I love this! Or something more elaborate and personal, it does make a difference.
Edit: since Reggie from JATP had officially a last name, the fics which I reblogged until the 9th of December will be tagged as jatp reggie, but all the ones I reblog from now on will be tagged as reggie peters.
TAGLIST HERE
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My requests are always open, but I only write with OCs (of the person who’s requested it) and X Reader. Fem!Reader, Male!Reader and Gender-Neutral/NB!Reader are all welcome. I don’t write non-con, p*dophilia or z*ophilia.
My Fics:
JATP - Reggie - We’re The Revolution That’s Been Singing In The Rain
JATP - Juke - Really Something
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EDIT: tumblr doesn’t allow more than 50 tags so the continuation of my recommendations will be linked
HERE. Or SCROLL DOWN to see the reblog directly <3
Personal Faves:
Special Mention to my bestie’s @heliads masterlist because all her work is amazing * edit. Somehow most of her links don’t work so if you want to read them just visit her masterlist linked above! She has it all perfectly organized and is great, definitely worth checking out!
MLWTWB - Alex Walter - Drunken Make Outs - @mattybstqrn
MLWTWB - Alex Walter - I’m Yours - @julieloves074
Stranger Things - Eddie Munson - she’s the devil in disguise - @letterstotheflre
Zombies - Zed Necrodopolis - Team Player - @heliads *see pink above for link
TW - Brett Talbot - The Bite - @heliads *see pink above for link
Marvel/TASM - Peter Parker - The Two Of Us - @/heliads *see pink above for link
MCU - Avengers - Kiddo - @redstarwriting
DC - Harley Quinn - Cherry Soda - @sapphicwhxre
HP - James Potter - Truth and Declare - by fave @heliads *see pink above for link
SaB - The Darkling - Time Can Heal (But This Won’t) - by bestie @heliads *see pink above for link
SaB - Jesper - Guns Blazing, Tides Rising (+part 2 +3 +4 +5) - @heliads *see pink above for link
TW - Brett Talbot - The Spring Break Lie - @heliads *see pink above for link
MCU - Bucky - First Glance - @royalwildswriting
SPN - Dean - The Hunter With The Dragon Tattoo - @watermelonlipstick
AiB - Arisu - Gaming - Part Two - @koreaweeb
JATP - Juke - in his arms - @unsaidnessa
AiB - Chishiya - Marionette - @koreaweeb (there’s parts, this is the masterlist and this is my fav chapter and these are the reasons why)
AiB - Chishiya - Red Strings - @koreaweeb (second story to Marionette)
Hannibal - Will Graham - Lonely - @gunpowder-and-smoke
Hannibal - Will Graham - Gradually - @darling-i-read-it
Hannibal - Will Graham - Sparring - @darling-i-read-it
Hannibal - Will Graham - Lost Time - @darling-i-read-it
JATP - Luke - Shirtless - @littlemissaddict
JATP - Reggie - About Love - @darlingsteveharrington
JATP - Reggie - Eyeliner - @julies-molina
JATP - Reggie - Little Miss Perfect - @unholyobsessions
JATP - Reggie - The Perfect Christmas - @calamitykaty
JATP - Reggie - Perfectly Entwined - @thefandomimaginesandwritingblog
JATP - Reggie - A Moment In Time - @calamitykaty
JATP – Reggie – Who Are You? - @himoonlight (this is the first part and the other parts are here: 2 - 3 - 4
JATP – Julie Molina – My Captain - @n0wornever (there’s also a second part to this and its this )
JATP – Reggie – Second Chances - @pythagothug (also multiple parts but are linked in the og post)
JATP – Reggie – Swedish Hologram Crush - @jaskiers-sweetkiss
JATP - Reggie – Dinner Gal - @nooneactuallyasked (that’s part 1 there’s at least 4)
JATP – Reggie – Marker Messages - @carnationcreation
JATP - Reggie – The Four Times They Almost Got Caught (And The One Time They Were) - @carnationcreation
JATP - Reggie - Akai Ito - @intoanothermind
JATP - Reggie – Embarrassing Encounters - @billboardofbrokendreams
JATP – Reggie – Unsteady Hands - @sunsetgillespie (this is like, one of my most treasured fics of all time.)
Teen Wolf – Theo Raeken – Back From Hell - @xplrreylo
JATP – Reggie – Leather Jacket - @xplrreylo
Obey Me! – Mammon – Bangin’ Birthday - @mammor0n
FBAWTFT – Newt Scamander – Not That Dress - @12tardis (there’s i think two more fics by this person, one with a jumper(? And one with a shirt(? Make sure to check ‘em out too!)
TO x SPN – Elijah Mikaelson – Funny-Man - @zodiyack
TO - Klaus Mikaelson – Every King Needs An Heir - @zodiyack (i think two parts?)
TVD – Kai Parker - Lunchtime Sabotage - @zodiyack
TO - Kol Mikaelson – Trusting You To Trust Yourself - @zodiyack
OBX - JJ Maybank – Study Sessions - @ptersparkers (7 chapters of pure smut)
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October Sun
summary: a near-death experience hadn't been enough to deter you from getting to the bottom of things. one of those things had been, holy shit, Maddie!? and there had been questions, and Ajay and Wally hadn't known what not to say, but who'd cared because, "Oh my god, Maddie, I can see you!"
pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader
warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.
bon reading, frens
___________________________💀
OCTOBER SUN pt.23
With great reluctance, Wally separated from you, his heart still lodged in his throat from what had almost unfolded. He scanned you up and down to ensure you were in one piece before he turned and walked toward Maddie. She looked distressed, wracked with guilt, her eyes watery and her mouth severely anchored at the corners.
She gazed up at Wally, utterly distraught, and sniffled, "I didn't...I didn't mean to. She can see everyone else, I just wanted..." Her shoulders shook with the effort it seemed to take not to break down right then and there, "Tell her I'm sorry, please, Wally, tell her I didn't mean it."
Wally wanted to fold Maddie into a bear hug like the ones his grandma used to give him; to give her the solace she seemed desperately to need, but first, he had to understand why you'd asked him to touch her shoulder. It'd taken him a second to figure out that that's what you meant, that something had happened when he'd tried to pull Maddie back before she'd collided with you in her effort to get your attention, but once he'd realized, he couldn't suppress the hope that blossomed within him.
With a sympathetic look, "I know," he told Maddie in a quiet voice, "it was an accident." She nodded miserably, body curling away from Wally even as he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. He turned to look at you, and asked, "Like this?" before stepping aside to see if anything had changed.
Indeed, something had shifted, Maddie becoming just that little bit more solid under his hand. He'd never noticed how she'd been slightly apart from himself and the others, a faint breadth less tangible, until it was made abundantly clear when you gasped and bolted forward, gathering Maddie against you in a wholesome embrace.
Wanting to give you and Maddie a moment, Wally removed his hand and, instantly, you were left holding nothing, arms collapsing against yourself and your body slouching sideways, out of Maddie's hold.
"Do it again!" You implored Wally, clutching his wrist and yanking him back into place. The connection flushed under the skin beneath your palm, white-hot through his veins, and it took everything in him not to pin you to him and kiss you deeply; to stake his claim in front of the others. You must've felt similarly because your next instruction was forced out, breathy, "And don't let go of her."
He did as told, placed his hand back on Maddie's shoulder, and felt her become a sturdier presence once more. Wow, Wally gaped, acutely aware of how in the dark Rhonda and Charley must feel, probably unable to tell the difference between Maddie before and after. You bundled Maddie into another hug, Wally's hand forced to fall to her shoulder blade, his other hand unconsciously moving to rest on your hip.
"I'm so sorry," Maddie apologized in a quick current of words, "I swear, I didn't mean to make you fall! I would never hurt you."
"I know, it's okay," You squeezed her tighter, "Oh my god, Maddie, I can't believe I can see you!"
"And...touch her, apparently..." Charley commented, making a close circle around you, Wally, and Maddie in examination. "How can you do that? Living people can't touch us."
"Yeah, we usually repel them like a bad smell," Rhonda added, voice marginally less spiky than before, "But Wally grabbed you like it was nothing."
The interrogation concluded with Charley asking, "And why couldn't you see Maddie until Wally touched her?"
That's when it clicked, "You have to invite her in..." Wally muttered, remembering the conversation you and he had had about the intricacies of In Betweens. At once, everyone's eyes slashed to Wally and he gulped, sweat gathering at his brow as it dawned on him that he'd spoken his thought aloud.
Thankfully, you dove in to save him, cutting to Ajay and giving him a pointed look. "You told Wally about In Betweens, huh? I asked you not to do that."
Ajay nodded, lips pressed into a line, "He's my bro," he shrugged stiffly, taking monumental strides to keep up with the lie as it developed. "I told him everything you told me about In Betweens, which are things I know about because you and I talk about them. In Betweens. C r a z y."
Rhonda rounded on him, a whiplash scowl that Wally was eternally grateful not to be on the receiving end of, even though he was the one who deserved it. "And you decided not to share with the rest of the class because...?"
"I told him not to and he probably made Wally swear to keep it a secret, too," You interjected. "Look, my family has a very strict rule against speaking to the dead. If anyone finds out I've been talking to Ajay—" Wally "—and now you guys? I'm fucked. My mom or my great-aunt will step in and I don't exactly know what'll happen, but it won't be good for me or you."
Charley seemed to contemplate your warning, fiddling with the cuffs of his jean jacket, then supplied, "We already decided it's better if we don't tell anyone about Simon." He gave Rhonda and Wally a curt nod which they both reciprocated. Wally didn't know what else to do but play along and consent to something he'd been doing since yesterday. "I think we can all agree to keep this between us, too."
"Yeah. You and Ajay aren't the only ones who can keep a secret." Rhonda commented, every letter dripping with condescension. She barreled ahead like a battering ram and imposed, "You wanna tell us why you couldn't see Maddie until Romeo over there got his mitts on her?"
"And what's an In Between?" Charley included, though he wasn't looking at you. Instead, he eyeballed where Wally's hand rested on your hip, his gaze flicking between there and Wally's face.
Wally did his best to avoid Charley's intense scrutiny, looking everywhere but at him and, oh, the moon was bright; was that garland of stars Orion just above the trees over there? Yeesh, someone should've cleaned up the littering of cigarette butts in the corner... Nothing to see here. Totally normal. Innocent whistle. Moving right along.
Or not.
"Actually, if you wanna start with whatever this is," Charley flapped his hand at you, Wally, and Maddie, though it was very clear what he meant to encapsulate with the gesture, "that'd be nice."
Wally barely held back the whimper of dread that tried to squeak out of him, his grip tightening on your hip.
"That would be nice," Ajay agreed, "I've always wanted to know. Especially after the hoops I had to jump through trying to keep you two apart."
Your face scrunched up adorably in confusion, "Hoops?" Ajay's eye twitched just before Rhonda and Charley served their attention to him. "Hoops!" You rectified. "So many hoops. All those things you did to keep me outta trouble when this weird, mysterious connection tried to derail my life..."
"Okaaay," Charley surveyed you with a trickle of doubt in his tone.
To your credit, you didn't let Charley deter you as you proceeded, "I've never felt it this strongly before. It's like a pull that I can't resist."
"Same," Wally wheezed, "It's like I have to be near her or I'll explode." He used his excuse to his advantage—at least he wasn't lying—and dragged you into his side, wrapping his arm more securely around your waist, all while maintaining contact with Maddie's back.
Rhonda arched a brow, "Explode, huh? Kinky." Wally opened his mouth to protest, but she continued, "Is that why he spent months following you around like a puppy a couple of years ago? I've seen him moon over plenty of little crushes on the living, but that was a lot, even for him."
"Thanks. Rhonda. Really." Wally glared, eyes darkening at her further when a surprised laugh bubbled out of Maddie. You shifted to look up at him, a sweet, playful smile on your lips that Wally wanted to feel on his skin.
"I remember that," You said, quiet, private, just for him, although you had to be aware the others were listening. "I'm sorry I... If I'd thought I could get away with it, I would've said something back then," You confessed and Wally's pulse quickened. You panned back to the others, offering each a significant look, including Maddie whose hand you scooped into your own, "I'm sorry I never reached out and tried to help you, but I'm here now and I will do everything I can to make it up to you."
Finally, Rhonda appeared to soften—not by much, but by enough that Wally felt himself relax for the first time since stepping foot on the roof. Her shoulders sank away from her ears, stance loosened marginally, and she nodded in acknowledgment of your apology.
"Alright, strawberry pie," Rhonda invited, "does this magical connection between you and lover boy have anything to do with why you couldn't see Maddie?"
Wally sensed your relief as if it were his own, your body melting into his side. You and he were off the hook, even if he did suspect he'd be questioned about the connection later. He could already hear Rhonda and Charley (even Maddie) grilling him for information: Why didn't you say anything? Did you always feel it? What does it mean?
"Honestly?" You began, "I don't know how the two are connected but I think they have to be. Not that the connection is responsible for why I can't see Maddie but why I can if Wally touches her. The only logical thing I can come up with is that the connection Wally and I have is actually some kind of manifestation of a soul-tie and that's why he can invite Maddie into my, uh, okay, so the thing about In Betweens—"
"Which is a thing I know about." Ajay inserted.
"—is that they're really...hard...to explain..." You rubbed your temples, obviously trying to gather your thoughts. Wally began to stroke his thumb over your sweater to encourage you to continue. Sinking into him further, you appeared to center yourself, flashing him a small, grateful smile before launching into the same spiel you'd given Wally. As you spoke, Wally pondered the complexities of In Betweens. Now that he thought about it, the fact that you and he shared a soul-tie that transcended life and death and time totally explained parts of why the connection existed in the first place.
He didn't know how or why whatever higher power had decided you two were meant to be whatever you were meant to be, but he felt all the more compelled to preserve the connection. The amount of devotion he'd developed toward you in under twenty-four hours was proof enough that you were or had been or were going to be someone profoundly important to him and he didn't want to lose that. Didn't want to lose you. A feeling he could only convey by pulling you as close to him as possible.
Charley, Rhonda, and Maddie (with Ajay forcefully maintaining an air of previously informed) listened to you, rapt, absorbing the information silently until you finished. Your brief lecture ended with a comment about Maddie and Simon's ineffable bond, that one of them likely had latent abilities similar to yours that allowed them to reach through the veil and communicate with the other.
"Right," Ajay seemed comfortable enough to drop the charade and ask genuinely, "But if Maddie's dead, why is she In Between and we're not? What makes her so unique?"
Wally felt you go rigid beneath his touch and he pressed himself into you, his front a hard, reinforcing line at your back. He observed the others slowly coming to the same conclusion as you struggled to say what needed to be said. To relieve you of the burden, Wally uttered, "She's not dead...is she?" sliding his hand up Maddie's back to hold her shoulder. A friendly, supportive touch that she seemed to appreciate when his statement sunk in.
She gaped at you, "Is it true?"
With a weak smile, you said, "Yeah. At least, it's the only thing that makes sense. Mads, I can see dead people, but I couldn't see you until Wally invited you into my circle. You can't be dead."
"You're sure it's not a fluke?" Maddie asked as tears sprang to her eyes.
"No," You shook your head, "Like I told Wa—Ajay, this shit," A swiping motion in front of your face, "Doesn't get glitchy. I've seen people leave. their. bodies. If you were dead, you and I would've been having a lot of conversations a lot sooner."
The instant you mentioned having witnessed death firsthand, Maddie's face crumpled in anguish. "You mean Ai—"
Rhonda interrupted, "Even though you're not supposed to talk to ghosts?" her snide remark disguised behind a question.
You didn't back down. Gripped Maddie's hand and brought it to your chest, swearing in no uncertain terms, "She's my friend, I would've risked everything to help her," your features fixed in resolution.
And then, just like that—
"Ack!" Wally sprung back, shaking his hand after a jolt of what felt like electricity pricked his palm. The palm of the hand that had been on Maddie's shoulder.
At the same moment, you released her, shifting away, cradling your hand as if you'd also been shocked, staring in disbelief at your hand, then back at Maddie, then back to your hand. It took several beats before either you or Wally realized you could still see her without Wally's intervention, but when it clicked, you darted forward and embraced her all over again. Maddie sniffed into your shoulder, whispering something Wally couldn't hear though it sounded like she was coming to terms with still being alive.
"Are you guys okay?" Charley wondered. He glanced between you, Maddie, and Wally, shifting closer, one arm out in front of Rhonda in an action that reminded Wally of his mama when he'd been in the passenger seat of the car and she'd hit the brakes too hard. Protective in a situation Charley didn't understand the makeup of. "What's going on?"
"The universe just needed to hear me say it," You grinned, parting from Maddie to explain to the others and Wally, "We can Travel the same stream now," and, damn, you were cute when you were excited, eyes alight and cheeks dimpled.
It took tremendous effort not to throw you over his shoulder and carry you away to somewhere you and he could be alone. Wally grinned back when you looked at him. And then his eyes widened in surprise as you decided for him that his effort wasn't necessary and jumped into his arms. He caught you easily, one hand shamelessly on your ass while the other spread wide at the middle of your back.
"Thank you!" You said, face tucked into his throat, and hugged him tightly. "It wouldn't have happened without you." Leaning back slightly, you smiled, as bright and beautiful as springtime, and Wally had to worry that his limbs were about to turn to Jell-O.
"Yeah," He replied, "Anything for you, pretty girl."
From behind Charley, Rhonda announced her disproval to the open display of affection, "Blech," and then shared, "Great, so cherry pop is alive," Wally detected a bitter note beneath the pragmatic tone she used, "Now what? Do you escort her out of here and back to her body?"
"I wish it was that easy." You admitted, brows furrowing. Wally placed you gently back on your feet with a kiss to your hair, no longer concerned that the others would find it suspicious now that you and he had established you were both under the influence of a mysterious connection. He hooked an arm around your collar, placing himself at your back as you reported, "But, according to...Ajay... something is keeping you guys stuck here. The fact that you supposedly can't leave school grounds isn't normal. As ghosts, you should have a lot more agency than that, like, way more than the living."
"And the plot thickens..." Rhonda muttered, the muscles in her jaw ticking as she ground her molars.
Charley and Maddie wore identical expressions of alarm. Recovering quicker, Maddie asked, "You're saying that someone is trapping ghosts here on purpose?"
"Seems that way, yeah."
"What about Mr. Anderson?" Wally could see the gears turning in Maddie's head, "Could he have done this somehow?"
"He wasn't around until ten years ago," Wally answered her, repeating what you'd said that morning, "He might've just taken advantage of the situation."
You nodded to confirm, "Simon and I definitely think he's got something to do with how Maddie was forced out of her body in the first place." Looking at Maddie, you said, "Simon told me about the phone call he overheard and the money in the supply closet. I'd hoped he'd be able to get something out of Anderson's phone but—"
"He stole Mr. Anderson's phone?" Maddie gawped, "Is that why the cops took him?"
"Possibly," You replied, "And now they're not even looking at Anderson because they think Simon had something to do with your disappearance."
Maddie's temper flared, "But he didn't!"
"I know that and you know that, which is why I'm here. We have to find something that'll make the cops take Anderson in."
"We should try the theater," Wally suggested, recalling how freaked Anderson seemed when he'd found you. "He went nuts on a student in there last night."
Rhonda studied Wally briefly before asking, "Is that where you went after supper?"
"Yeah," Wally cleared his throat, "Just wanted to zen out for a bit, but a freshman came in looking for something in the seats," Oh hell yes, he could do this! He stuck close enough to the truth that he could fill in details if anyone tried to poke holes in his defense, probably more proud of himself than he should be for fabricating a decent lie. "Mr. A found them and lost his shit. There's probably something in there he doesn't want anyone to find."
Rhonda gave Wally a look of sardonic glee, "See, doesn't it feel better to act normal instead of pretending you're an idiot?"
"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Wally grumbled while Charley unsuccessfully tried to stifle a laugh behind his fist.
"What's going on?" You asked.
Wally huffed, "Don't ask. Rhonda is a lying liar who lies."
Rhonda snorted, demeanor adjusting to something Wally hadn't expected from her. Casual, borderline friendly—well, less standoffish which was as friendly as Rhonda got toward newcomers. "I'll tell you about it sometime," She offered you, a rare olive branch in the shape and weight of Group gossip. Then she brought everyone's attention back to more pressing matters, "Okay, so we check out the theater, right?"
Staring at Wally carefully, Maddie fished something out of her pocket and held it up for everyone to see, explaining, "Simon told me about something that went down in the theater last night." Wally's stomach clenched. Busted. "I tried talking to Mina. She wasn't exactly a fountain of information, but I found this on the floor. I was hoping to ask her about it..."
You reached for what Wally identified as the Split River High Devils patch Maddie had shown him, Rhonda, and Charley just before Ajay had retrieved them. Maddie handed it over and you inspected it, chuckling, "Wow. I didn't think these were still around."
"You know what it is?" Maddie asked, "Because I didn't until tonight."
"Rora was a Blue Devil," Ajay said as if lost in thought, staring at the patch. "She played tuba."
"Which is something I told you because we talk. About things. Like my sister." You blurted to cover Ajay's mild fuckup. "Yeah, she was in the band. She still has her uniform and everything."
Maddie mumbled, "I keep forgetting she's, like, twenty years older than you."
"Seventeen," You corrected, and then, "She could've easily ended up being one of the bus crash kids, but she was sick that day. I wasn't even born, so I don't know much, but the way Rory tells it she got food poisoning from the cafeteria lunch the day before. Best worst day of her life."
"Jesus Christ," It fell out of Wally's mouth before he could stop it, stunned that your sister had almost wound up a ghost like the rest of them. Would she have been a looper, too? Or would she have been the only one of the bunch to snap out of it? Fuck, it wasn't worth thinking about, Wally reprimanded himself, his arm sliding down to band around you, his hand unconsciously slipping under your sweater to rest, skin-to-skin, on your waist.
"I know," You mused, solemn, "If she hadn't eaten the fish sticks, she'd be dead."
"This was on the floor in the theater and I think there's something to it." Maddie said, "I don't know if Mr. Anderson is involved or not, but Mina must know something and we need to find out what. It could be what we need to help Simon."
Everyone gave their assent, ready and willing to help, as you offered, "Tell me what to do, Mads, and I'll do it."
Filled with determination, Maddie said, "We need to find some flowers."
"Butter Mina up a bit, huh?" You grinned conspiratorially, "Alright, I'm on it. I can get something together in the morning and bring them to school with me."
"Can you come early?"
"Not gonna lie, I already intended to. Zav agreed to pick me up at dawn so we could sniff around." The face Maddie made when you mentioned Xavier was cold and angry. Wally wasn't sure what you knew and what you didn't, but he remained certain of the fact that you had no idea Xavier had been cheating on Maddie with that cheerleader. "We're all on Simon's side," You assured Maddie, "Even if he and Zav didn't get along before, Zav wants to help."
Maddie cut the conversation there, "Yeah, I'm sure he does," forcing a smile.
"Great, now that that's settled," Rhonda began in an uncharacteristically helpful redirect. Whatever moment she and Maddie had shared during Field Day seemed to have established a fledgling bond between them, Rhonda actively changing the subject so Maddie didn't have to. "How about we go back to why Goldilocks can't get back into her body because we're trapped?"
As you were about to answer, Wally glanced at Ajay and saw him steeling himself for what he was about to expose, "Uhm, about that. There's something I want you guys to see."
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Ajay was ahead of you; Rhonda, Charley, and Maddie brought up the rear, leaving you and Wally to walk together in the middle.
"I thought I was going to have a heart attack," He admitted, slinging his arm around your shoulders and pressing a tender kiss into your hair. Butterflies erupted in your belly, the casual affection he'd been doting on you during and since the rooftop making you swoon, pleasantly dizzy from it. "I think Maddie figured out that I wasn't alone in the theater last night."
"If she did, she won't say anything," You promised, cheeks pinking as you regarded him. Wally looked particularly handsome in the moonlight, his features striking. Your pulse quickened as you soaked him in, those sweet-sultry eyes blinking at you when he panned his head to grin down at you. "She's loyal like that," You finished, tongue suddenly sticking to the roof of your mouth.
Ajay stopped a few meters in front of a tree you recognized as one of several that students carved their initials into. It was unspectacular, normal; bushy leaves in autumn colors, and twisty with knots and thick roots. The others caught up eventually, Charley marching a couple more steps ahead of Ajay before Ajay caught him by the back of his jacket.
"Don't want you to end up back in the cafeteria," Ajay said, pulling Charley back to a safe distance.
So, this was the almighty barrier Wally had mentioned. At least, a section of it. You produced your phone from the pocket of your sweater, turned on the flashlight, and carefully neared the tree. With great mindfulness, you picked your way around the bottom of the tree, still managed to stumble and trip here and there where the roots were difficult to see. Nothing stood out to you; some hearts, some graduating years, even a few profanities and one clumsy dick with a crudely marked phone number beneath it. Ordinary stuff that most high schoolers thought was hilarious or edgy.
Returning to the starting point, you placed your hand on the truck, the bark ridges rough under your palm. Closing your eyes, you focused on your breath, deep and even inhales and exhales as you attempted to connect to whatever magic might be hidden within the tree's heartwood. You'd never tried to feel out another person's magic before. You'd never truly referred to it as magic before, either, so this was a night of firsts in many ways. You could sense the spectral weave of the ghosts behind you, the vibration of their buoyant, antigravitational energy. You felt something else ahead of you, barely a hum, as if caged within a lead box—blurry and distant and altogether difficult to pinpoint. In tandem phantom and human.
Then, quite suddenly, a piercing thrust of malicious, vantablack magic made itself known, shoving into you through your palm and sending you stumbling back over the raised roots. Your heel caught and you landed hard, phone falling face-down in the dirt.
"Are you okay?!" Charley called, arms braced against Wally who'd clearly tried to dash forward to your rescue, likely forgetting that he'd be transported back to the football field.
"Babe!?"
You raised a thumbs up and took a moment to let the adrenaline settle. "Fine," You assured, "Probably gonna bruise nasty, but nothing I can't handle." You heaved yourself into a sitting position, eyes scanning up the tree, following the cone of light from your phone to just above the faintest part of its reach. Frowning, you rolled yourself forward onto hands and knees, grabbed your phone and held it up to bring more light to a specific portion of the tree.
"No. Fucking. Way." You gawked.
"What is it?" Rhonda wanted to know, staring at you with a hard expression before glancing between the others. They all shared her question, each taking tiny, measured steps forward.
"It's...it looks like a ritual mark." You told them because, above all the depravity and memory-making, a strange symbol was etched into the bark, the cambium beneath blackened with age. A vertical line that bisected an unsymmetrical diamond with an X slashed through it. You took a picture of it, examined it on your phone as you rejoined the others. The symbol was as familiar as it wasn't; something in its nature niggled at the back of your mind.
In the years before everything had gone to shit, Ginny had spent countless afternoons delighting you with lessons on the craft. She'd taught you about the flora and fauna that harbored ancient energy; what talismans actually benefited the wearer and what were cheap, souvenir shop gimmicks. You'd enjoyed two whole days listening to her lilt the runic alphabet—fehu, uruz, thurisaz, and so on.
The symbol in the tree appeared to be a personal representation of a ritual rune, unlike any you'd seen before; its design unique to the individual and whatever purpose they'd needed it to serve.
"The barrier feels weakest here," Ajay said, "I'd hoped you could find a way to break it."
You hummed in acknowledgment, completely transfixed as you continued to search your memory for the runes Ginny had shown you. "Yeah..." And then, when you'd processed what Ajay had said, "No. Even though it feels weaker, it isn't. The energy is just stretched outward."
"What does the mark mean?" Wally asked, arm already outstretched for you to tuck yourself under. An invitation your body instinctively accepted before your brain caught up to how you'd slid into Wally's space like you were meant to be there.
You lifted your phone to show him the screen, "It looks like someone just hacked random runes together to make their own, but..." Skirting your attention to Ajay, "I bet there are other places around the school where the barrier feels different, too?"
"Four others." Ajay nodded.
"About equidistant apart?"
"That sounds about right, yeah."
Maddie ventured closer, "What does it mean?"
A shiver ran down your spine as you shifted your gaze back to the tree, the weight of the truth looming in the deep, eerie blackness behind it. "It means this was planned."
At that precise moment, a twig snapped in the shadows. Wally repositioned himself, shoving you behind him so he could put himself between you and whatever was out there. The others were on-guard around you as well, the circle they'd stood in shrinking as a figure appeared from out of the darkness. You held your breath, heart racing, and took an instinctive step back. Wally's form blocked you from seeing who it was, but your gut screamed at you to run run run, get out, leave, run, that sense of phantom-human energy shuddering through your veins.
You were ready to submit to the feeling only for, "There you are!" a familiar voice to split through the night, god dammit, seriously?!
"Who the hell is that?" Charley inquired to the group at large.
Quickly, you shoved your phone back into your pocket, moving around Wally in as natural a manner as possible to call out, "Jesus, Dave, you nearly gave me an aneurism!"
Dave emerged from the shadows, blond hair and bright white teeth catching the distant lamplight. He wore an expression of concern, eyes boring into yours, steps measured and steady as he treaded over the raised roots and pitted dirt toward you. Despite predicting what was about to happen, you weren't ready to have Dave haul you into a friends-and-family hug, his arms pinning your elbows to your sides and wringing you hard enough to expel the air from your lungs.
"Aurora sent me out to look for you," He told you, his tone grating against your ear. "I've been driving around for an hour!"
"Well, here I am," You coughed with as much enthusiasm as you could muster. Which wasn't much considering how pissed you were that Dave of all people had been the one sent to perform a search and rescue. And, of course, that your progress with the barrier had been interrupted. Mostly that.
You wriggled out of his embrace, putting some necessary distance between you and him as he motioned to usher you to his car, "I parked down the street. Come on, let's get you home."
"I'm fine, Dave." You said, really, really fighting not to sound as unpleasant as Aurora nagged that you always did when speaking to him. You wanted to argue, to stay and have Ajay show you the other points where the barrier's intensity was altered, however, Dave seemed insistent on returning you to the house. Covertly, you glanced at Wally, wordlessly asking for his input.
"It's okay, baby, we can show you the rest tomorrow morning." He said and the others followed, murmuring their reassurance at separate intervals. All but Rhonda who peered intently into the darkness where Dave had materialized.
"We've totally got this," She added belatedly, distant, distracted, but you took it for the endorsement of your surrender that it was and resigned yourself to trailing Dave to his car.
A scant step or two from the school property line, you heard footsteps behind you. Dave was far enough ahead, nattering on about whatever Aurora or your mother or Nanna had said about you sneaking out at midnight on a Thursday, that you risked turning to see who it was.
Wally jogged up to you, all cheeky smirk and boyish charm, and grabbed you by the arm, abruptly drawing you flush against him and, in a flash, delivering a deep, heated kiss to your lips. His large hand cradled your jaw, thumb caressing your cheek, as he teased your bottom lip with his teeth. A streak of want burned through you, coiling in your belly. A whimper escaped you that Wally swallowed greedily and you could feel the shape of his smirk against your mouth.
As soon as it had begun, it was over. A one-and-done moment. So fast that by the time Dave noticed you weren't at his back, Wally had already detached from you, cheeks flushed and eyes glassy. "Been wanting to do that all day," He chuckled, licking his lips as if to savor the taste you'd left behind.
You hated him just a little bit because you couldn't say anything back. Couldn't tease him or tell him how much you wanted more; couldn't yank him into another searing kiss and have him lay you down in the grass; couldn't do anything except—
"Let's go, champ!" Dave called with his patented Real Estate smile, jingling his keys to signal for you to come. Like a dog. Your faced pinched in bitterness, an expression Wally seemed to find endearing because he chuckled and shook his head fondly.
"Better go, baby, or he might try to hug you again."
"Oh my god, I hate him so much." You grumbled under your breath and Wally all but cackled as he retreated toward the school, catching up with the others as they filed through the door.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
In the darkness, meters from the tree you'd been inspecting only minutes ago, a girl wearing your friend's face scowled down at a hand that didn't belong to her, biting her tongue as she pulled one of the loose fingernails from its bed.
Time was starting to run out.
💀___________________________
PART TWENTY-TWO - PART TWENTY-FOUR
also available on AO3!
MASTERLIST
#Milo Manheim#Wally Clark#Wally Clark x Reader#fem!reader#Wally Clark smut#Wally Clark fanfiction#Milo Manheim fanfiction#School Spirits#zed necrodopolis#Disney Zombies#October Sun
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October Sun
summary: Wally had needed a moment alone since you two had parted ways earlier that morning. it had given him a chance to lay out the facts and finally see what trainwrecks of ghosts he and the others had been.
pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader
warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.
bon reading, frens
___________________________💀
OCTOBER SUN pt.15
Wally skulked into the teacher's lounge, bypassing the gathering in the main space where Mr. Hartman held court. The words 'footprints' and 'service road' filtered above a firing squad of sharp questions as Wally made his way to the back, into the kitchenette, where he grabbed an empty mug off the rack.
Obviously, the police had been in touch. He wondered vaguely if Maddie had heard the news. He hoped so. It would be tremendously weird if he knew something about what had happened to her before she did, the feeling like sludge in his throat.
Wandering back out, he kept an ear open to Mr. Hartman's speech and set himself up at the coffee machine. Filled the mug almost to the brim, added two sachets of brown sugar, and stirred. Placed the dirty spoon in an abandoned, half-empty glass of water and then tucked himself quietly away back in the kitchenette.
Mr. Anderson wasn't amongst the faces Wally recognized as the teachers who held senior classes. A good thing since Wally was still pissed. Never mind that the guy might be solely responsible for Maddie's ghost; how he'd behaved toward you last night left a nasty taste in Wally's mouth. Made his knuckles itch to punch until Mr. Anderson swallowed his own teeth. Until his eyes pulped and his nose caved in. Until Mr. Anderson was one of them.
Although, Wally thought with bemusement, he didn't want to be stuck with Mr. Anderson. If what you'd said was true—that Wally and the others were trapped—Jesus, imagine having to exist for the rest of eternity in proximity to a monster capable of abusing women.
And that was the crux of his somber mood right there, wasn't it?
Trapped.
They were trapped.
He was trapped.
Wally sagged in his chair, staring at nothing. Steam wafted over his chin and cheeks as he took an absentminded sip of his coffee, the heat and bitterness burning when he swallowed. He set the mug down, held it, and continued to stare blankly ahead.
In the absence of your closeness, a chimera of pain-hurt-betrayal sunk its teeth into his heart and spread under his skin like poison, coming to erupt out of him in an uncharacteristically violent display.
The mug crashed against the wall. Ceramic tinkled to the floor. Wally dropped his head into his hands and heaved a dry, noiseless sob that ended as soon as it began.
He was supposed to have had the chance to say goodbye. To his friends, his girlfriend, his parents—fuck. Even though they wouldn't have been able to hear him, those moments were meant to be HIS.
His choice, his freedom, his right.
But, he'd been denied. Locked in with no escape because he'd had the bad luck to die in a place infected by, what, malevolent devil-cult energy? A witch's final hex on the land? Disrespected ancient fucking burial grounds?
According to the notes you'd written him, even crossed-over, Wally would've been able to reach out and reassure his mamma that he was fine. That he missed her and loved her and everything was going to be alright—
The dull sound of ceramic being set down in front of him interrupted the barrage of hate, rage, grief storming through Wally. Head shooting up, he saw Ajay stepping around the small table to take the seat beside him, sad smile and sad eyes mirroring the pain Wally felt.
When he glanced across the table at the wall, the broken mug and splattered coffee were gone. Reset and then remade and delivered to Wally in an unspoken offering of support.
Eventually, "Are you okay?" Ajay asked in even syllables.
Wally didn't look at him, couldn't find it within himself to fake a smile and pretend. Ajay was a divine kind of perceptive and would see through it in an instant, anyway.
So, Wally opted to avoid giving Ajay an answer by asking a question of his own, "Have you ever thought about why we're having such a hard time crossing over?"
The weight of Ajay's gaze spoke for itself. He didn't say anything for several moments, watching Wally watch the wall—acute, analytical. What Ajay said, when he finally responded, made Wally jump to attention.
"You're talking to her, aren't you?" A statement disguised as a question. Ajay's features conveyed mild amusement.
Wally hesitated and then squeaked out, "Who?" though he could tell that Ajay knew. Had clearly known about you for a while. But, just to be safe, "Maddie? Dawn? Dude, we know a few chicks, you'll have to be more specific."
"Bro," Ajay deadpanned.
"Bro!"
Ajay leveled Wally with a flat look, mouth a slash of disappointment, "Bro..."
Wally's knee began to bounce under the table, sweat beading at his hairline. "Bro?"
"Bro."
Ajay folded his hands on the table and leaned in, as if about to divulge classified information—heavily redacted and for Wally's eyes only, the introduction to which was a kick to the gut.
"My parents," Ajay began, "Were deported the day before my funeral."
Wally released a puff of air from his cheeks, gaze dropping to his lap. His problems suddenly felt minuscule in comparison. "I'm sorry, man, I had no idea."
While it had seemed completely off-topic, Wally considered Ajay a close friend and was familiar with how he operated. Every word he shared had meaning, and, sure enough:
"Neither did I." Ajay said, matter-of-fact. "Her sister was the one who told me almost a decade after they were forced to leave."
Stunned, "Her sister went here?"
"Graduated the year before Katelynn died."
Wally did the math, "Damn, that's an age gap." That put her in her early thirties. Your mama had either been very young when she'd had your sister, or you'd been an unexpected surprise...Or both. "She can see ghosts, too?"
"Naw, but she can feel us."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?"
"She's an empath." Ajay explained, "She used her senses to feel me out. Apparently, when I'm happy, I smell like my mother's biriyani." He chuckled lightly, gaze distant, fond, tinged in the creases by the hurt of missing someone important.
Wally sipped his coffee and gave Ajay a minute to reminisce. Once Ajay's eyes were focused again, Wally asked, "Was it different for her? Because she couldn't see you, I mean. 'Cause the way my girl put it, she'd get into some serious shit if she spoke to me."
Ajay snorted, shook his head, and waved a hand, "Absolutely not. Ora had to follow the same rule. 'Don't interfere' or whatever." He slouched sideways over the table, head in one hand, fingers of the other tracing nonsense patterns into the vinyl surface.
"But she did it anyway?"
"She didn't see how the rule applied to her. How could she interfere when she couldn't even tell if anything was going on." Ajay rolled his eyes the way people did when they talked about their siblings' antics. "I cared more about it than she did. That's why I never told you." His voice sobered, "I never told anyone."
He got up and fetched himself a drink. Took a glass from the cupboard and moved to the sink to fill it from the tap. One sip. Two. Three.
Back still turned to Wally, Ajay further professed, "I knew she was Ora's sister as soon as I saw her. They could be twins," He shuffled back to the table, sat down, "The resemblance is uncanny, I'm telling you. She looks so much like how I remember Ora." A tender smile, "As soon as I confirmed it, I kept an eye on her. Doing what I can to keep the others from discovering her abilities."
"But not me?"
"Oh, believe me, I tried. But it was like herding fucking cats, man. Something greater than all this," Ajay motioned to encompass beyond the room they were in, "Kept working against me. You two found each other no matter what I did." Aggrieved, "Her sophomore year was a bitch."
A laugh burst out of Wally unbidden as memories of that fateful year rolled across his mind like old film, only now the scenes played from Ajay's perspective.
Yeah. It'd probably been a bitch.
As confident as he was that Ajay wouldn't betray him—or you—Wally needed to be doubly sure: "I guess I don't have to ask you to keep our secret then, huh?"
Ajay mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key, punctuating the promise with a friendly wink. "I'll never utter a word."
Wally breathed a sigh of relief, wrapping both hands around his coffee and relaxing into his seat.
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes as Wally collected his thoughts. He returned to the conversation he'd had with you that morning, and then to how Ajay had responded to the question of crossing over. As if he'd been guided to the same truth you'd revealed to Wally. Had your sister—Ora?—figured it out when she'd been a student?
"Why us?" Wally voiced the thought aloud. "Why the school?" He glanced at Ajay who was studying him closely, like a professor watching their pupil solve an unsolvable riddle. "Why can't we cross over?"
"And why did Janet get to?" Ajay granted with a sour line under her name.
On paper, Janet had been as polite as had been expected for a young woman raised in post-war America. All quaint mannerisms and Christian smiles. Voice always set to a reasonable decibel. However, there'd always been a current of disdain underscoring every interaction Janet had had with Mr. Martin.
Of their ragtag ensemble, Janet had been the most hostile toward Mr. Martin's brand of gentle parenting. Unlike Rhonda, who was openly resistant, Janet had playacted through the Group sessions she'd deigned to attend and had giddily punched holes in Mr. Martin's logic whenever she'd had the chance.
It didn't make sense, then, that she had been the first one of them to move on.
"Did you know we're supposed to be able to leave?" Wally said apropos of nothing. "We should be going to movies and bars and, fuck man, I should be able to go to the mall and get a pair of goddamn jeans."
Ajay laughed, adding, "And I could get some real food," with a demonstrative look of yearning.
"Whatever's trapping us here, in the school...what if that's why it's taken so long for one of us to cross over?"
"It makes sense." Ajay shrugged. "Ora never said that it was weird that we couldn't leave the school, but she said enough that I figured it out, and—" He stopped himself abruptly, mouth snapping shut with a clack that made Wally flinch.
Ajay seemed reluctant to continue, eyes zipping left and right as he weighed the pros and cons in his head.
Just when Wally thought that was it, Ajay cleared his throat and scuffed his chair as close to Wally as he could get it without sliding into Wally's lap.
"There's something I think you need to see." He whispered, eyes on the doorway, as if afraid of being overheard.
"Yeah, alright." Wally dragged his chair back and was on his feet in a flash.
Pressing his lips in a regretful line, Ajay nodded toward the clock in the main space of the teacher's lounge. It was empty now, save for a few teachers whose classes didn't start until later.
"Mr. Martin wanted to get started soon." He pointed out, "But after that, I'll show you."
"Does anyone else know?"
"No. It's just me and you, buddy." Ajay rose and clapped Wally on the back before leading them out of the teacher's lounge and into the hallway. After about a minute, Ajay broke their amiable silence and said, "So, you and the baby Paranormal Activist, huh?"
"I'm telling her you called her that." Wally groused without bite. "And I don't kiss and tell."
"Oh, you don't need to." Ajay assured, "I heard enough about that already."
Wally choked on a swallow. Eyes watering and tongue stuck in his throat, he coughed, "How!?"
"Mina saw you two last night," Ajay revealed, deceptively nonchalant. Before Wally could protest, Ajay signaled that there was nothing to worry about. "She won't say anything. My baby's a vault."
Wally choked again on the endearment, missing a step and staggering forward for two. "Your what!?"
Passive, teasing, "Bro, it's like you don't know anything about me at all," Ajay heaved an enormous, theatrical sigh.
"How does it even work!?" Wally demanded once he recovered. "How long have you two been together??"
With a sly, cheeky look, Ajay simply responded, "Come on, buddy, I'm a gentleman, I don't kiss and tell."
Wally halted on the spot. Sputtered indignantly for a few seconds before he put his hands on his hips and glared at Ajay's retreating back, "Oh, you are such a dick."
💀___________________________
PART FOURTEEN - PART SIXTEEN
also available on AO3!
MASTERLIST
#Milo Manheim#Wally Clark#Wally Clark x Reader#fem!reader#Wally Clark smut#Wally Clark fanfiction#Milo Manheim fanfiction#School Spirits#zed necrodopolis#Disney Zombies#October Sun
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October Sun
summary: you hadn't talked about it. had believed you'd never have to. but then you'd been alone in a classroom with a madman and the walls had been closing in, no hope, no escape. and then it'd screamed, LET ME OUT.
pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader
warnings: panic attacks. eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.
bon reading, frens
___________________________💀
OCTOBER SUN pt.18
tick. tock.
tick. tock.
Question 1: Why did Frankenstein create the Monster?
Mr. Anderson sat behind his desk, marking that morning's pile of tests. Yours was underway, everyone's heads down, the room silent apart from the scratching of pens on paper and the occasional creak as someone shifted at their desk.
As soon as you'd received your copy, you'd read through the questions; simple enough. Determine metaphor and allegory, write about what's between the lines, not what's on the page.
This wasn't your first rodeo. You loved the practice of analyzing books, finding things the author probably hadn't meant to give deeper meaning to but had, for the sake of high school English. It was where you excelled, earned As and A-pluses, 10/10s, 99/100s.
Mrs. Boudreaux, your junior English teacher, had been the driving force behind your application to the English program at Berkeley. With her guidance, you'd applied in your final semester last year and already had the acceptance letter stashed where your mother wouldn't snoop.
You were really fucking good at English.
And yet...
tick. tock.
tick. tock.
Question 1: Why does Frankenstein create the Monster?
You couldn't focus. Your mind kept slipping, the edges of cordoned-off memories bleeding under the tape. What you'd almost said to Simon earlier—"I'm gonna end up going after him with a—" crowbar crowbar crowbar—your stomach churned. You'd bitten the threat on your tongue and swallowed it back down before it'd had the chance to spill into the world.
Why that? Why, of all things, that? You hadn't...you'd never use...you wouldn't DO that.
"Sissy May! You're not looking! You have to look!"
A quiet, sharp inhale. Like sucking air through a straw. It wasn't enough, but you didn't want the attention. You folded over your desk to lay sideways on your arm, putting your back to the class. Pen on paper, unmoving, blue dot growing as ink seeped through the pages.
Write. Do it. Write something. Anything.
But you couldn't. Half of you was pulled in one direction while time wrenched your other half in another, fracturing in impossible countermotion. Existing forward and backward at the same time.
tick. tock.
tick. tock.
Question 1: Why does Frankenstein create the Monster?
Your vision swam as memories wedged themselves between the seconds, left hand singeing where it was cradled in the crook of your neck and shoulder. The pain shot from the outermost knuckle up to your elbow and struck outward in Lichtenberg figures behind your ribs.
"—the Split River police are considering this a missing person investigation—he lures her to the boiler room—blood blood blood on the walls—and you chose that person to be there—you're stuck here?"
Dialogue ran into each other, warped, distorted, a record played in reverse. Mr. Hartman's speech on Monday, your conversation with Wally, Simon's despair, and private thoughts emulsified into an incoherent sludge that pulsed in your ears.
"—she's stuck she's stuck she's stuck—body could be anywhere—I know this is alarming news, but we have every hope she'll be found safely—aren't friends supposed to trust each other?"
tick. tock.
tick. tock.
Question 1: Why does Frankenstein create the Monster?
Hesitant, careful, you tried not to draw attention as you sat up. Your left hand felt wet and when you looked down you saw tiny pinpricks of blood beading within the crevice of your scar. The pinpricks swelled into each other, more and more, scar tissue splitting up the middle and folding back. Blood gurgled out around the bone and spilled onto your desk. Drip-dropped onto the floor. Dribbled across blank test sheets.
You snatched your hand into your lap—don't look, it's not real, don't look—and clenched your eyes shut, dragging in quick, rabbitty breaths as best you could without making any noise.
"—if you know anything, anything at all, please come forward—he's hiding Maddie in there—I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry—no questions asked, remember?—get your stuff and let's go—I'm sorry I'm sorry—Sissy?"
Your eyes snapped open, immediately trained on the supply closet door. Ominous. Unbelonging. Dry, grey wood and rusted handle. You looked down at yourself, at your hand, open wound spewing a pool under your desk. Clothes and skin stained red. Hair in tacky strings that fell to your waist, much longer than it'd been when you woke up that morning.
Blood. So much. Blood.
tick. tock.
tick. tock.
"LET ME OUT!"
The rusted handle rattled furiously, wood expanding and contracting like the lungs of a nightmare. You were paralyzed in your seat, joints completely fused, unable to open your mouth and scream for help. Tears welled in your eyes, streaked down your face, as you watched the hinges loosen and the doorframe splinter around the strike plate.
"You can't keep me here! Do you hear me!? LET ME OUT!!"
Suddenly, there were hands on your face, a voice in the distance calling your name.
"Go get the nurse." Mr. Anderson instructed, spooked, standing from his desk and rushing down the aisle.
"With all due respect, sir," Xavier said over his shoulder, crouched beside you, hands staying firm on your jaw, "You do it. I'm staying with her."
He turned back to you, repeated your name, told you where you were, that you were okay, that he had you and wasn't going anywhere, shh shh it's okay, I'm right here. Until, finally, thank Christ, finally, your eyes refocused and you seemed to recognize Xavier.
"I need you to breathe for me, kiddo." He said in as soothing a tone as he could given his panic. He grabbed your left hand and put it over his heart, settled his open palm on your sternum, and inhaled deeply. "Come on, May, you can do this. You're okay."
The old nickname stung like a lash, defunct for a reason, but despite wanting to tell Xavier off, you couldn't speak. Your throat was too tight, tongue too large, fuck, you were going to die. Not there. Not in the school. Not where you'd never get out.
Not like this, you pleaded. And then, all at once, you were released, gasping and wailing, toppling out of your seat and onto the floor, into Xavier's arms. He tucked himself around you, protective, safe, and held you as you sobbed.
Outside, Wally almost doubled over, uneven contractions of pain in his chest, over and over, worse and worse. Disoriented, he held himself up on the side of the bus stop.
Rhonda was ranting at Charley about secrets, Maddie's secret—Simon could see them!—and Charley was frantically apologizing and Maddie was gone—where had she gone? It didn't matter—nothing mattered, he had to find you.
"Where are you going?!" Rhonda yelled after him as he took off toward the side door.
And all he could think of to explain his sudden departure was, "I just need some space right now!"
Right then, he didn't care if she believed him. If either of them believed him. If they followed him and found you and found him with you—he didn't fucking care.
He just had to get to you.
Mr. Anderson returned with the nurse, pale and uneasy. Xavier ignored them both as he helped you to your feet. The classroom had thankfully been on its way to empty when Xavier had noticed you'd been unresponsive. Sat stiff as a board at your desk clutching your left hand, the whites of your eyes visible as you'd stared into nothingness.
"I'm taking her home." He said, brooking no argument, holding you against him with an arm secured around your waist and you were almost out, almost away from the terror that had gripped you, but Nurse Laine had to shine a flashlight pen into your eyes first.
She asked questions that you answered with curt nods and shakes.
"Are her parents home?"
Xavier informed, "Her grandmother. I've already said I'm bringing her back." Between convulsions. Had reached into your bag to fish out your phone. Punched the code in easily and found Abigail's number in your contacts. Why the hell was it still 0-6-1-1? Why torture yourself?
It was then that Wally barreled through the closed classroom door. He looked every bit as shaken as you felt. In four long strides, he was at your side, observing Xavier with more scrutiny than he gave to the scene itself.
"I want to go home," You said, weak, wet, directed to everyone in the room, but especially to Wally. Because you couldn't talk directly to him, couldn't touch him; no matter how much you needed him to be who held you, you weren't so far gone not to recognize that that wasn't possible.
Mr. Anderson spoke as Xavier guided you to the door, "You can retake the test on Monday. It's no problem." And it was both a relief and a kick in the gut.
You couldn't look at him. At the man who had abducted Maddie, hurt her, abused her, forced her out of her body.
"Sissy?"
You wrenched forward and vomited into the garbage pail beside the door.
Mr. Anderson took a single step and you whimpered, curling into Xavier as if attempting to hide from the man. Xavier looked between you and Mr. Anderson, a dark expression of suspicion seeping into his features.
"Don't worry about it." Mr. Anderson said of the garbage pail like that's what you were scared about. Like that mattered at all. "I'll take care of it. Just get her home safely."
Xavier gritted out a thank you to Mr. Anderson on your behalf and practically carried you out of there, stopping only to peek into the hallway first to assess how to get you to the car without witnesses.
Minus a couple of students jogging to their next class a few minutes late, the hallway was empty.
Wally remained a stalwart presence at your other side, down the two flights of stairs and out the door into the parking lot.
Lead-rubber limbs caused missteps, scuffing the toes of your sneakers against the gravel. Xavier never let go, every stumble counterbalanced, patient as you found your footing again only to lose it moments later.
He bundled you into the passenger's seat—sideways against the back with your legs still outside the car—and crouched to tell you, "I'm going to grab my bike. I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay."
After a hard press of his lips to your forehead, he was gone, and Wally took his place.
It felt too much like your sophomore year, Xavier swooping in to the rescue, leaving Wally in the dust. Only, this time, Wally knew you could hear him. More than that, Wally knew you'd answer when he asked:
"Baby, what happened?"
You shrugged, fragile, tired, and, "Panic attack," you said simply. "I think this whole thing with Maddie is getting to me."
Wally nodded as if he understood, but he didn't, though he so wished he did. What he'd felt, what the connection between you and he had delivered into him...if he'd been alive, the pain Wally had experienced would've killed him, he was certain of it.
Are you okay? He almost asked. Instead, he dropped to his knees and wound his arms around your waist, coaxing you forward until you tilted out of the seat and allowed Wally to take your weight. He leaned back and sunk onto his haunches so you were entirely seated in his lap, face under his chin, arms around his neck, fastened to him in a way he was beginning to prefer.
Eventually, "Something happened. Six years ago," you revealed, so quiet Wally nearly missed it.
He kissed a crown into your hairline, "You don't have to tell me, pretty girl, it's okay."
"I want to." You insisted, but Wally felt the tension in your back when you said it.
Plastering on his best smile, he craned his neck so he could see your face, practically melting as those big, marbled eyes blinked sweetly up at him. "Some other time, then, huh?" He suggested and was pleased when you agreed. A little nod and then you nuzzled yourself back into his throat with a sigh. Cute as a baby bird.
Xavier returned a few minutes later and set about preparing the car so he had enough space to deposit his bike in the trunk. Once finished, he climbed into the driver's seat and tapped you lightly on the shoulder.
"Ready to go?"
Contrary to last night, when you'd slammed back into your body at speed, you seemed to simply rouse as if from sleep. A far gentler experience that you hoped was the new norm.
"Get some rest, baby," Wally said and stood, dusting off the knees of his sweatpants. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
You answered with a smile since Xavier was watching you; refusing to start the car until you'd positioned yourself properly with your seatbelt buckled and the car door closed.
As Xavier drove out of the parking lot, the warmth of the connection between you and Wally fell away like a cloak slipping from your shoulders.
Xavier didn't hesitate to reach over the console and take your hand as if he could sense you needed the comfort. He squeezed and promised, "No questions asked."
You kept your head turned toward the window, heavy on the headrest, and squeezed back.
💀___________________________
PART SEVENTEEN - PART NINETEEN
also available on AO3!
MASTERLIST
#Milo Manheim#Wally Clark#Xavier Baxter#Spencer MacPherson#Wally Clark x Reader#fem!reader#Wally Clark smut#Wally Clark fanfiction#Milo Manheim fanfiction#School Spirits#zed necrodopolis#Disney Zombies#October Sun
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October Sun
summary: Simon had wondered what any of it had meant. Maddie's death, why he'd been the only one who could see her. And then he'd learned that, perhaps, everything that had happened...it hadn't been about him or Maddie at all.
pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader
warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.
bon reading, frens
___________________________💀
OCTOBER SUN pt.25
A roaring white noise erupted in the theater, smothering all other sounds. A TV static howl that seemed to come from within your own head, building and building until it was unbearable. You slapped your hands over your ears, gritted your teeth, pulse thundering almost as loud as the unnatural noise in your ears.
Muffled as if through cotton fluff, you heard someone yell, "What's happening!?" but no more than that, the voice swept away by the bellow. You lifted your head away from Xavier's shoulder and turned your body as much as you could within the tight band of his arms. Where the trapdoor should be, rising like a nightmare from its grave, the farmhouse door materialized in the middle of the stage. Your eyes widened in horror as the familiar screams from behind it began to gnash at the edges of the noise like teeth, "LET. ME. OUT! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME HERE! YOU'RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME!? DEAD!!"
You cast around, saw Maddie and Wally huddled together, Charlie tucked between two rows of seats, Ajay shielding Mina with his body, and Rhonda with her arms crossed in front of her face as the noise crashed through the theater like a physical force; a tempest of rage and violence that pierced the veil. The ground and walls shook, windows rattled, a stage light fell and smashed on the stage. The quake vibrated through your bones, motivated you to act, but you couldn't move. Xavier clung to you both protectively and in terror, his eyes pleading as he seemed to figure out what you planned to do. He trembled, fingertips bruising into your flesh through your sweater.
You'd never seen him so scared. Not once. Not ever.
Driven by adrenaline, "I'm sorry," you shoved Xavier off you, spun and rose in one fluid motion, and charged at speed down the center aisle toward the stage. The wind was sharp and stinging, pieces of glass and metal from the shattered stage light picked up and whipped about, but you didn't stop. Hurdled into it. Leapt onto the stage. Close, so close. Hand extended, fingers brushing the knob, about to brace against it to keep the monsters from escaping.
The door ruptured at its center, fragments of wood bursting outward and immediately captured by the storm. The force of the sudden explosion sent you sailing backward, followed by a tsunami of blinding, iridescent light that fell from the breach in the door and reached toward you. Cold. Clutching. You barely made out your name being shouted in varying degrees of desperate concern and fear. But it didn't matter. It didn't matter. Because as soon as you landed, hard—enough to knock the air from your lungs into your throat and choke you—the world shifted on its axis and went black.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Question 1.
Why did Frankenstein create the Monster?
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Simon lay in bed and stared at the ceiling above him, cracked and pillowed, a yellow-brown rash bloomed in patterns that he tracked in meditative circles with his eyes. He needed to shower, he thought dully. He hadn't had time that morning before being chauffeured to the station for another damning interrogation by Deputies Hayes and Stewart.
"Where is she, Elroy? Where's Maddie?"
"I don't know."
"Don't lie to us, kid, it'll only make things worse for you."
"I'm not lying, I don't kn—"
"God dammit, quit playing dumb!"
"That's enough," Mrs. Grace had snapped before Stewart's jaw had shut with an audible click. "Without substantiated evidence, this is all hearsay. Simon has given you everything he knows in his statement. Unless you intend to further make fools of yourselves, we're leaving."
Simon needed to get up. Get up. Get up. Get. Up.
He didn't move. Couldn't; his limbs grafted to his sheets, muscles like stone, bones elastic. His back was sore, his skin ached and he wanted to move around, stretch the discomfort out of his body, but...he didn't. Instead, he kept staring at the ceiling as the morning looped in his mind. Questions and suppositions, two manilla folders, one map, and then a tense drive home where he'd felt little-boy scared of his parents—his father—for the first time in years, their disappointment and anger palpable in the tight confines of the car.
Simon had been shown Maddie's file. A couple of graphic photographs that looked staged for a prime-time procedural drama. His best friend's blood splattered on the boiler room wall, evidence of the pain and torture she'd incurred when she'd been killed. Murdered in the bowels of the school while Simon had been three floors up in homeroom, bored and bleary-eyed, dozing on his backpack, mentally preparing for a night at the APEX with a group he felt a little on the outskirts of.
"Fuck." He choked, eyes stinging, rubbing over them with his wrist.
The photographs were seared into his retinas; there even when he tried to distract himself or ignore them or pretend that Maddie was still within reach and not one resolution away from vanishing forever.
Blood. Her blood. From a swing so violent that it'd projected onto the wall when the weapon had been hitched for another strike. How many blows had been delivered before Maddie's eyes had dimmed and her breath had stopped? His stomach lurched, but still, Simon didn't move.
The deputies thought Maddie was out there. Not enough blood on the scene to warrant a murder investigation, Stewart had informed Simon as if suggesting that Simon and Maddie might've tried to fake her death so no one would look for her. It was half-assed and ridiculous. Even Hayes seemed to think so, though she wouldn't have admitted it aloud.
Desperate to repress the images, Simon tried to remember the other file he'd been shown. The deputies insisted the cases were linked: Maddie's "escape" and a string of break-ins that spanned two neighborhoods that would've been one if it weren't for a railway track splitting it down the middle like a stapled wound. Simon had recognized the first immediately. Riverden Heights. A low-income area that had been chosen by the town council for regentrification, spearheaded by none other than Claire Zomer's stepfather.
The other, Warren Meadow, had taken him a moment to recognize, but when he did, it'd been a feat to conceal his surprise. He'd been there the night he'd found Mr. Anderson's stash, sat on a swing in the play park behind the house you called home.
What did it mean?
As he pondered the possibilities, a crisp gust of wind coasted over him, disturbing the curtains and ruffling the posters on his walls. At last, he moved, prompted to investigate because he was sure— He swallowed thickly, tense, heartbeat ratcheting up a notch. Propped on a hand, he looked in confusion and dread at his closed window.
A slow, eerie creak snapped his attention toward his closet, the door open a sliver when he knew it'd been closed. The darkness within seemed even blacker than was natural. Inexplicable. Otherworldly. A shiver ran down his spine. Similar to the feeling he'd had when he'd caught Maddie's reflection in the classroom window on Monday.
The floorboards squeaked when he stood. Simon took one cautious step after another, muscles flexed, not prepared at all for an attack but willing to be brave. Two. Three. Four. Five steps. His chest was tight. Hands shaking. Breathing shallow. As he hooked his fingers on the door to open it further, it started. The sound was faint and he had to strain to hear it, but it was unmistakable. Wet and rattled, punctuated by thick sniffles.
Someone was crying.
Someone was crying in Simon's closet.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Rhonda remained couched, braced against the wild, unholy wind until, bit by bit, she realized it'd stopped. When she opened her eyes, she gasped in shock, collapsing forward onto her hands. The world around her had changed; the theater was replaced by a span of paved ground enclosed by a chain-link fence, painted games bright against the black asphalt. A tingle crept down from her scalp to her nape, goosebumps pebbled her arms, and she panned her head to glance over her shoulder.
Panicked, she spun, landed on her ass, shoving herself backward with her feet to put distance between herself and the eerily suspended door. The void at its center flickered. It felt like a black hole trying to drag her into oblivion.
Rhonda flipped over and pushed herself up. Ran. Ran harder and faster than she'd ever done in life or death. Down the side of the building she'd found herself behind to skid around the corner and come to an abrupt, stuttered stop.
She turned this way and that, disoriented, chest rising and falling quickly as she tried to suck in enough air to keep her upright.
"What the hell is happening?" She wheezed, every alarm in her brain going off at once as she began to process her surroundings: Outdoors. Too dark for how early she felt it should be, the air thin and cold, biting, and the sky obscured by a dense layer of gunmetal grey clouds. It was raining in heavy sheets so thick Rhonda could barely make out the line of British inspired maisonettes on the opposite side of the street. "Where—?"
She cut herself off when the wide, double-door entrance to the building opened, releasing a soft glow from within that illuminated the pathway ahead of it. Children in raincoats and rubber boots bounced down the front steps, giggling as they jumped and splashed through puddles on their way to join clusters of adults who waited under umbrellas on the sidewalk.
"No. Fucking. Way." Rhonda walked toward the pathway, jaw slack, gaze fixed on the words etched into the stonework. She nearly tripped over her own feet, only just managing to correct herself as she turned fully toward the building.
Anabelle Meheive Schoolhouse for Boys.
The brick and mortar was as old as Split River itself, named after one of the town founders' wives. The school had been reestablished as Anabelle Meheive Elementary in the early '40s, ten years before Rhonda's family had moved from rural town Romania to Wisconsin. Rhonda had still been curious then, unjaded and excited and eager to learn. Her fourth grade desk had been right there, beside that window. Where she'd daydreamed as she'd stared at the houses across the street and had wondered what it'd been like to live somewhere so unlike her own home in the shanty district that bordered the factories.
Pressure stuffed her nose, her vision blurred, and suddenly she was overwhelmed by the memory, instantly missing her parents, her sisters, her grandmother in a way she hadn't in countless years. Unfortunately, she didn't have more than a moment to grapple with it before her attention was forced back to the school's entrance.
Two figures emerged, one was small, obviously a child. A little boy, Rhonda discerned, with a Spiderman backpack and rainboots to match. The second was taller, slender, the hood of their sweater up so it concealed their face. They hauled the little boy by the hand as they complained, "Come on, stop messing around, I want to go home," as the little boy kept trying to gleefully splash his way through every puddle on his way to the front gate.
A spike of foreboding shot through Rhonda as she watched the pair. Swiftly, she found herself trailing after them as they turned onto the sidewalk. That sense of unease continued to worsen, churning in her stomach like a premonition of ill tides. Although it felt like every other bad gut feeling she'd experienced in her young life, it was somehow distinguished. And when the taller figure got so frustrated by the little boy that they pushed their hood off and threatened, "I'm so serious right now, I will leave you here and tell mom you ran away," Rhonda was once again stunned into stillness.
The taller figure was a girl, no older than eleven or twelve with features identical to ones Rhonda had seen mere moments before the theater had turned into a category 5 hurricane zone. Your hair was longer and your face was rounder, softer, yet simultaneously you looked exactly as you had when Rhonda had joked about getting Wally a new wardrobe.
You began to tug the little boy along again, your foul temper tween-girl extreme to the extent Rhonda questioned whether or not it was really you. Regardless of whether or not it was, Rhonda decided, she needed help, needed an explanation. Where the fuck was she? When the fuck was she? How did she get here?
"Hey!" Rhonda yelled after you, "Wait!"
You didn't notice Rhonda. In fact, she was entirely nonexistent to you as you yanked and heaved your brother every single step forward. He enjoyed being a pain in your ass, always elbowing his way into every sleepover, usurping attention, whining until you gave in and put on movies for babies because he didn't like what you and Xavier and Hana wanted to watch.
You'd already been grumpy when your mom had called to ask that you collect Aiden from school on your way home, consumed by thoughts of Xavier and Hana ditching you to hang out with another couple because, apparently, that's what boyfriends and girlfriends did.
Your face twisted in displeasure, jealousy seeping into your veins like toxic sludge as you barked again, "Aiden, come. on. Stop it!"
Xavier and Hana hadn't even kissed on the mouth yet, you grouched internally. Plus, they were still going to Dave & Buster's with Mrs. Baxter like all three of you did. As a group. Every Friday since first grade. It wasn't fair that just because you didn't want to be kissed or have some gross boy who smelled like B.O. and gym bag hold your hand like that, you weren't allowed to go too.
The rain came down harder, thunder rumbled overhead and lightning cracked across the sky. Aiden continued to resist, stomping in and out of the stream that flowed along the curb. Stupid mom being held up at work. Stupid Aurora being at university. And stupid, stupid Aiden, not listening to you when you were obviously in a bad mood.
"Aiden!" You yelled, tugging him back onto the sidewalk, "I said stop it!"
Your clothes were drenched, your limbs were frozen, and all you wanted to do was go home, rant to Nanna, and have her comfort you and tell you to forget Xavier and Hana and their dumb relationship had ever happened. Just as you were contemplating how upset your mom would be if you abandoned Aiden right then and there, you heard a car pull up behind you and a male voice call, "Hey, can I give you a ride?"
Rhonda stopped when she saw the car stop. More specifically, when she saw the face of the man behind the wheel. She didn't recognize him and he looked normal enough. Buzzed, military brown hair and a friendly smile and eyes that crinkled charmingly at the corners. Rhonda moved to peek into the open passenger window, squinting at him. Despite how NPC-normal he appeared, there was something inside her soul, a niggling feeling that made her gums itch, that told her that the man's aura was several shades of wrong.
Clumsily, she reared back and turned to urge you, "Don't go with him," as that prickly sense of unease increased, blaring like an air raid siren in her brain. Rhonda couldn't tell if you were familiar with the man and decided quickly that it didn't matter, "I know we aren't exactly besties," She said, standing directly in front of you now, "But you have to listen to me."
You looked right through her.
Leaning across the console was a man wearing a uniform like your dad's, his face familiar though you couldn't quite place it. Your grip tightened around Aiden's hand and you narrowed your eyes at him. A thousand and one speeches had been delivered throughout your life on the subject of which strangers are good and which are bad. And random men in cars were at the top of the "who to avoid" list.
"You don't remember me?" The man chuckled and then explained, "We met at the barbeque on base. I'm Christopher." He raised an amused eyebrow, "You got me with your water gun a few times."
Rhonda's gaze ricocheted between you and Christopher as you hesitated, tilted your head, and chewed your lip, studying Christopher like a Wanted poster. That nagging feeling in Rhonda's gut swelled into a sick panic when the tension bled out of your shoulders, showing signs of finally recalling who Christopher was.
"Oh yeah," You grinned and stepped closer. Christopher was in the same unit as your dad. He'd been at the barbeque with his wife and daughter, the latter having hung out with you and Xavier all afternoon while the adults drank beer and got rowdy. "Xavier pushed you in the pool."
Christopher snorted and hung his head in mock shame, "That's me."
Rhonda shook her head, her mind screaming at her to stop you from going with him. That if you did, all the happiness and joy and pure, unconditional love in the world would be snuffed out as easily as the flame of a candle. Rhonda had felt similarly when Mr. Manfredo's demeanor had shifted in the split second before he'd revealed his true intentions for her.
"Don't go with him," She repeated, trying and failing to grab your hand, shoulder, face, anything. But her hands kept missing, sliding away, your energy and hers two like poles that would never connect. "You need to believe me!"
You smiled down at Aiden, "A ride would be great, right Aid?"
Aiden wasn't paying attention, staring off into space. He did that whenever you asked him to stop being annoying. Acted like he hadn't heard you or that you weren't there. Glaring at him, you repeated the question, only for Aiden to tug your hand so you had to bend to his level to hear him.
"What?" You demanded under your breath.
Aiden whispered, "I don't think we should go with him."
Relief flooded through Rhonda, however, it was short-lived.
You rolled your eyes, "Seriously, Aiden?" God, could he just not? For once, one time, could he be on your side instead of making everything difficult? You knew he was complaining just so he could keep splashing in the puddles, but you were over the wet and the rain and the cold.
Aiden stubbornly stared into space again, refusing to budge until you poked him in the cheek. He reluctantly dragged his eyes to yours, looking up at you with a pout, "I don't want to, Sissy." Lip wobbly, brow furrowed. The same expression he pinched his face into when you refused to let him use your Switch.
You heaved a careworn sigh and put your hands on your knees as you spoke to him, forcing your voice to a sensitive register, "How about this: If you get in the car, I'll make you mac 'n' cheese with chicken nuggets when we get home. Alright?"
Rhonda lurched forward, "No no no!" She begged you to change your mind, to hear what Aiden was trying to tell you, her voice strangled, throat closing. "Don't!"
Aiden chewed his lip as he considered your proposal, eyes on the ground. At last, with one last glance into the middle distance, he nodded. It was a small gesture, almost disappointed, and he mumbled, "Okay."
You grinned and hugged him, praising him for listening to you as you opened the car door and helped him into the backseat. Once he scooched over, you climbed in after him, thanked Christopher for his kindness, and made Aiden do the same.
"Thanks," Aiden muttered, staring at his lap, looking for all the world like he'd just been told he wasn't allowed dessert ever again.
Though she knew it was useless, Rhonda bodily flung herself at the car when you closed the door, banging and slapping the window with her palms until they stung bright red. "Don't! You have to get out! GET. OUT!"
You buckled your seatbelt, then Aiden's, and the car pulled away.
Rhonda stumbled into the street, shouting after you. Her hands gripped her head in panic, pulse racing. She watched the car stop at the corner and saw Aiden rise to peer out of the back window, chubby hand up as if he was waving goodbye. The emotion in his big, green eyes— She inhaled sharply. Without any doubt, Rhonda understood that she'd just witnessed a child's future turn to ash. And she felt in her bones that Aiden knew it, too.
"Come back." She begged, tight and weak. "Please, come back."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, an ominous creak drew her attention behind her. The farmhouse door. The deep, black void at its center. Eyes wide in fright, she shifted to run after the car but didn't get even a step before the blackness shot out, wrapped around her arms and legs, and wrenched her into its depths. The door slammed closed and disappeared.
In the backseat of the car, you asked Aiden, "What're you looking at?" when he continued to stare out of the rear window. You peeked over the seat in confusion, not seeing anything worth that much scrutiny.
Aiden slowly slid his gaze to meet yours and what you saw in them made your stomach twist, the look in them far too old for a six-year-old boy. Clearing your throat, you forced yourself to brush it off, fixing Aiden in his seat after he'd lowered himself to sit properly.
"Nothing," Aiden responded, tone solemn. He began to draw a little stick figure in the condensation on the window, and then an upright rectangle with curly cues coming out of it.
You watched him for a moment, suddenly feeling uneasy. "You sure?"
Aiden nodded.
You wouldn't have believed him anyway.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Question Two.
Does Frankenstein learn from his mistake in creating the Monster?
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
You roused in pained stages, groaning as you hoisted yourself onto your hands and knees. The world was spinning, vision cloudy for a moment before the room settled around you. The damp and dark didn't feel right against you, pushing in from all corners like pressure in the depths of the ocean. Heaving a breath, you wobbled to your feet, blinking rapidly as your eyes adjusted to the dim light.
Even in the thin light filtering through the high windows, you recognized that, wherever you were, it wasn't the theater.
"Wally?!" You called out, "Maddie!?"
No answer.
"...anyone?"
It took a minute for your eyes to adjust. The space was wide and empty, the ceiling low, walls exposed slabs of thick stone. A cellar, you realized, stepping carefully across the packed dirt floor. Faded Persian carpets had been placed down in the center; thinner, longer ones like runners led from the base of the polished wood steps to the back wall, the tail end of the last carpet disappearing beneath the stone.
"Where am I?" You wondered, glancing about.
A few items of furniture stood against the wall directly opposite the staircase. A tall, fat cabinet with glass windows that displayed a variety of trinkets that reminded you of curiosities Victorian nobles had collected to be admired by their unworldly peers. Beside it was a sarcophagus, Egyptian-inspired but certainly not original. It was far too dark, menacing, the face demonic with ruby eyes that seemed to burn from within.
You kept a wide berth around it, its aura unsettling. Like walking into a forest after nightfall with no flashlight.
On the other side of the cabinet were wrought iron hooks nailed into the stone, neat rows of ten across, seven down. Most of them were bare, though a few still held gruesomely painted masks in the Venetian style. Some with long, pointed noses; others without, more feminine. The eyes in all of them were netted.
"What the hell is this place?" You murmured to yourself as you reached out to run your fingers delicately down the smooth nose of one of the masks.
It felt familiar. The exposed beams, the packed dirt floor, the draft that chilled you to the bone. You followed the runners to the back wall, turned, looked out the window above you. Twisty, naked branches speared the sky, a large gap in the middle where...where the road... Oh, God.
Your breath caught and you began to feel queasy, bile burning the back of your throat. This wasn't just any cellar. It was the farmhouse cellar. The place you'd been when you learned exactly how many minutes it took for a human body to die.
The room swam as your vision blurred and all at once, you doubled over, retching into the dirt, swaying on weak legs when it was over. Breath after breath felt like ice as you tried to get air into your lungs, your heart to calm down, your head to stop spinning.
"It's not possible," You choked, collapsing against the wall, "I shouldn't be here, this isn't right." You sank to the floor, completely devoid of energy in the wake of your realization. As if the darkness had sucked it all out. You sat there for minutes that dragged into each other, hitched little inhales and drawn, stuttered exhales. "I want to go home," You whimpered, but there was no one around to hear you.
In that instant, voices rose and the floorboards above creaked under the weight of several people. Panicked, you shot to your feet, casting about for something to protect yourself. Nothing good had ever happened in this farmhouse, you knew, and you doubted that now would be any different.
There was nothing. And when you tried to open the cabinet, a taser-like shock jolted through your arm and knocked you backward onto the floor. However, you didn't have time to question it, the door above opening—that door, the door, the one that had haunted you for six years—and the voices getting closer.
"Surely, Lord Althan, you jest. A stablehand!" A woman's voice spoke, sounding giddy as much as disturbed. "How on earth did that happen?"
A deep, male voice answered, that of Lord Althan assumedly, "I haven't a clue, Marjorie." He sounded dismayed, "He took off with all the money and my daughter, the wretched bastard." A pause before he growled, "I tell you, never trust a Clark."
"Certainly not." Marjorie agreed. "I had two in my employ, sisters. Irish though they weren't Catholic, and I wish I had known such an important detail before I had Beaty hire the little rats. They stole the diamonds right off one of my necklaces. Had they the fear of God in them, they wouldn't have done so."
"And they were Clarks?" A new voice asked, another male, though thick with an accent you could only describe as South Asian.
Marjorie answered, "Indeed. You'll have to be careful during your visit, Your Excellency. The poor have become a problem in recent years, I'm afraid."
You listened with half an ear as you scouted for a place to tuck yourself into. The sarcophagus was latched and the effort it would take to break the lock off would be both too loud and too obvious. You searched along the walls, in the shadowy corners. The best place would've been under the stairs but a large cord of chopped wood had been piled in front of the space.
The footsteps got closer as the group descended, talking amongst themselves. Swallowing thickly, you pressed yourself against the side of the cabinet, crouched beneath the rows of hooks, hands over your mouth to muffle your harried breathing.
A strange sensation passed through the cellar as the group stepped one by one onto the carpet at the bottom of the stairs. The air stilled and the shadows seemed to part for the group as they moved across the space. A man held out his hand to help a woman down her final few steps and then escorted her with her arm through his. The next man did the same for the next woman, and then the third man for the third woman.
All were dressed elegantly, the men in tuxedos with white ties and polished boots, and the women in beaded dresses that fell past their knees, gloves to above their elbows, and furs around their shoulders.
"It's truly wonderful that you were able to attend at last, Your Excellency," A new voice said, female, heavily accented. Eastern European, you believed, "My husband and I have been eager to introduce you to the leader of tonight's gathering."
"I appreciate it immensely, Lady Botezatu," His Excellency replied, "I was delighted to have received the invitation."
If you'd had the presence of mind to be curious, you would've noted the name, turned it over in your head, snapped the piece into place where it belonged. Because you knew that name. However, the sound of the men and women nearing made your pulse rush like a roar in your ears. You squeezed your eyes shut, turned to tuck yourself as close as you could to the wall, back against the cabinet, pleading that you wouldn't be found.
Closer. Closer. The footsteps and voices were right above you now.
"Here you are, Raj" Lord Althan said pleasantly as he claimed one of the nosed masks and handed it to His Excellency. "Your lovely bride can help you attach it, I'm sure."
With big, terrified eyes, you watched Lord Althan remove another mask, one without a nose, and hand it to the woman beside His Excellency. And no one—your brow furrowed—seemed to notice you. Not even the slightest acknowledgment that you existed. You didn't want to push your luck, staying put with your hand remaining clapped across your mouth. However, you couldn't stop yourself from glancing up at the faces of the group gathered in front of you, helping each other tie the ribbons of the masks at the backs of their heads.
His Excellency turned around after helping his bride with her mask and you almost collapsed in shock.
"Ajay!?" You said before thinking about the consequences. You rose quickly and stumbled forward, attempting to clasp your hands around his forearms as he fiddled with the ribbon on the nosed mask he held. "Ajay, where are we? What's happening?" But...your hands passed right through him, his image distorting, coming apart like whisps of smoke before letting in again. "A-Ajay?"
With a strained whine, you studied his face and the longer you stared, the less he looked like Ajay. The resemblance, as uncanny as it was, was only that. A resemblance. And, furthermore, Not-Ajay, it appeared, couldn't see you. Couldn't hear you. In fact, none of the men and women paid you any mind whatsoever. To them, you were as real as a ghost.
"Fuck." The word punched out of you as you staggered back. The faces that hadn't been covered were eerily identical to ones you knew until you stared too long. Rhonda. Wally. Ajay. Maddie. And then the resemblances faded and left behind just the most subtle of like features. "What's happening?"
You were going crazy. Trapped in a nightmare of your own making after you couldn't keep the farmhouse door closed. God only knew where the others were. If the light that had ripped out from behind the farmhouse door had trapped them too. If they were experiencing the same thing. Or worse.
"Come along, Marjorie dear, we're already behind schedule." Lord Althan remarked, holding out his arm for her to take. He led the group to the back of the cellar, following the line of carpets before he paused at the wall. Not knowing what else to do, you trailed after them, observant though feeling faint as you tried to accept that you might never make it out of whatever coma or conjuring the farmhouse door had unleashed.
If this was a nightmare, you thought, there was only one way out. You had to see it through to the end.
You saw Lord Althan produce a pen-shaped piece of silver from his pocket. Sleek, smooth, nondescript, and rather unremarkable until Lord Althan pushed it tip-first into a tiny hole in the mortar that you never would've noticed on your own. When it was halfway in, you heard a heavy clank of metal and stone scraped against stone. Your jaw dropped as part of the wall sunk inward and then moved aside, revealing a steep rock stairwell lit by a line of low-burning torches.
The group herded into the stairwell, continuing their conversation, the men attentive to the women as they descended down down down into whatever was below the farmhouse cellar. The stairs were uneven, some tall, some short, and you briefly marveled at the ease the men and women ahead of you exhibited as they gracefully carried themselves to the bottom of the staircase.
You openly gaped at what lay beyond the staircase, taken aback by the sheer extravagance, so out of place for where you were. The narrow walls on either side of the staircase opened into a massive cavern that had been built and decorated to mimic a European palace. Italian marble floors, a grand fireplace with detailed carvings in the wood of the mantle, portraits of dour, aristocratic men and women kitted in ceremonial costume.
Your attention lingered on the portraits, particularly what the figures in them wore. Yes, the clothes were ceremonial as was usually the case when the rich were painted, but they were also...religious. In a way you had a difficult time putting your finger on. Not typical of the Abrahamic religions or Dharmic or Taoic. More Pagan. Celtic or Nordic, you weren't sure, but definitely Pagan. The figures in the portraits wore cloaks and were ornamented with etched daggers and wooden laurels bent and shapen into antlers. The one thing they all shared were the broaches pinned under the notches of their collars. Large, silver things with a symbol you'd seen in the pages of a book housed in your family's library. Three interlocking spirals. A triskele.
A tinkling sound, fine metal tapped on hollow crystal, echoed through the cavern, a man's voice calling out to announce, "Welcome all!"
You turned, gaze searching the crowd of what you guessed was about fifty or sixty people. Masked and in fine dress, all of them. They stood in a semi-circle facing you though their focus was on the man who spoke. You couldn't see much of him since he had his back to you, poised proudly in front of his flock. He was tall, broad-shouldered yet lithe, and had hair that had clearly once been blond though was turning grey.
"I am overjoyed that so many of you could join us on such an important and exciting night."
"Hear, hear!" The crowd exclaimed, lifting in unison their champagne coupes.
"My only regret is that my lovely wife seems to have gotten lost."
The crowd tittered at what you figured was meant to be a joke. Stepping closer, you tried to get a better look at the man, wanted to see if, like the men and women who you'd followed down here, he held any resemblance to someone you knew. Together, the crowd's focus shifted to something behind the man. He turned, a wide smile spreading across the part of his face that wasn't covered by his mask.
You went completely still as his eyes, unobscured unlike the others, settled on you. They were striking; bright seafoam green that within them held a wisdom and respect that transcended time. You shivered as those eyes, far too old for the face they belonged to, burned through you, heart hammering behind your ribs.
Slowly, the man reached out his free hand, smile softening, and said, "Ah, there you are," in a quiet tone. Private.
Just for you.
"We've been waiting."
💀___________________________
PART TWENTY-FOUR - PART TWENTY-SIX
also available on AO3!
MASTERLIST
#Milo Manheim#Wally Clark#Kristian Ventura#Simon Elroy#Spencer MacPhearson#Xavier Baxter#Rhonda Botezatu#Sarah Yarkin#Charlie Morino#Nick Pugliese#Wally Clark x Reader#fem!reader#Wally Clark smut#Wally Clark fanfiction#Milo Manheim fanfiction#School Spirits#zed necrodopolis#Disney Zombies#October Sun
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October Moon
THIS IS THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF A 2 PART SERIES to understand the plot, you will had to have read October Sun.
summary: in the aftermath of the theater of terrors, there'd been a single, short moment of silence when everyone had been too stunned to speak. too frightened confused sick horrified to say a word. and then everything had descended into chaos.
pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader
warnings: smutty smut smut. mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.
bon reading, frens
___________________________💀
OCTOBER MOON prologue
There was a single, short moment of silence before the commotion began. A moment of confusion and sick loss that weaved its way between and through everyone until it thinned into a desperate need to understand what they'd all just been through.
"He was so alone," Charley whimpered, pitiful, arms curled around his middle as he tried to forget the little boy who'd needed someone to stay with him so badly, "I didn't want to leave him..."
Rhonda scowled, "How could she not know!?" Spitting her anger through gritted teeth, gesturing widely as if the air was too close and she had to push it away.
Wally was frantic, hands moving as fast as his mouth, "I saw Maddie's dad—"
"What?" Weakly, tortured, "Where? Why did you get to see him and I didn't?" And Maddie began to tremble because she'd always known her father had died but she and her mother had never been given more than a feeble, 'it was an accident'. An accident that had rendered her father unrecognizable and dead. An accident that had driven her mother to the bottom of too many bottles and away from her daughter. An accident Maddie had never believed because she'd known, she'd KNOWN, it was a lie. But she hadn't visited him, she'd been stuck in a hospital room with a twelve-year-old girl and her great aunt, forced to watch as Then Deputy Baxter held his hat to his chest and declared a little boy gone.
It wasn't fair and Wally held her even as he explained, "Janet was there," to Charley and Rhonda who stared at him in disbelief.
They all talked over each other, "What was she doing there?" - "Do you think Mr. Martin knows?" - "Maybe that's why he helped her move on; he knew she was dangerous!" - "He can't know, if he did, he wouldn't have let her near us."
Meanwhile, Ajay was urgently scouring the rows, under every seat, down every aisle, calling out Mina's name before disappearing at a run to the back of the stage, into the rafters, "Mina, Mina, Mina!" Over and over, heart in his throat, where was she, she never left the theater, where was she!?
But all of that faded into the background when you heard a weak, strained voice ask, "Why didn't you tell me?"
On your knees on the stage, staring blankly at the spot the farmhouse door had been, you tried to make your mouth work. Slowly, you panned to Xavier who stepped toward you, his face pained, his brow creased and eyes filled with so much sorrow it felt like a kick to the heart.
Meekly in return, you confessed, "I didn't remember," as if that solved the problem. A band-aid over a bullet wound, as true as it was. You'd been tested several times at your mother's stubborn hand for dissociative amnesia, unable to reconcile how you'd remembered Aiden's final moments. A lethal fall down the farmhouse stairs. A farmhouse in town, abandoned, on your way home from the elementary school. You'd gone in to escape the rain and he'd wandered off on his own. Had hit his head so hard on the stone wall, he'd bled out at the bottom of the stairs. You'd watched his spirit rise and then vanish. It was in your statement to Xavier's father. It was how you'd remembered it, in vague flashes, for the six years it'd been since it'd happened.
"I didn't......it wasn't like that." You repeated, forcing the words out around the lump in your throat. "I didn't remember..."
Xavier collapsed to his knees in front of you, devastated, "How? How could you not remember that? How could you not tell me!?" It wasn't harsh or mean or loud though part of you wished it was. It was a quiet expression of betrayal. And then, a breathy whisper, "He was my brother, too."
Maybe not biologically, but emotionally, spiritually, it was true. Xavier had held Aiden as a baby; had held Aiden's hand on his first day of kindergarten; had taught him big words to impress his teachers, and how to kick a ball into the net, and how to skateboard like a big boy, and how to—you shook, eyes welling with tears as Xavier continued to look at you like you'd just shattered his whole world.
"Xavier," Maddie said softly, her own voice shaky with grief, "It's not her fault."
Xavier exhaled deeply as he turned his head to Maddie, pressed his lips together, suddenly appearing anxious beneath the pain, "When did you get back?"
Maddie shot you a helpless look and you took the responsibility from her, saying in a wet tone, "She didn't, Zav."
Xavier was confused for a long minute, staring at Maddie as if he could piece her together like a puzzle.
He blinked several times, looked—really looked—at the students he didn't recognize, noticing their outdated apparel, their pale complexions, their...not-really-thereness. All at once, it struck him, a knife-twisting epiphany while your voice in his mind, carefree and purposefully teasing, told him and Mathilda about your hot football player ghost. He gazed at Wally Clark, the number 57 on the sleeve of his varsity jacket, and then swallowed.
Xavier's eyes closed almost as soon as his gaze returned to rest on you; his lips pressed together so you wouldn't see how the bottom one wobbled. His shoulders tensed, and, when he opened his eyes again, he couldn't stomach to look at you. In that moment, he understood like common sense exactly where he stood with you and it hurt.
"Zav," You whimpered, reaching for him, but he shifted away, shaking his head. "Zav, please," You attempted, shuffling forward on your knees. He stood, stumbled back a step and then grabbed his head, breathing heavy.
"No." He said, then louder, "No, no way." You clambered to your feet as he jumped off the stage. "It's too much," He said and you could tell he was fighting tears, "I can't do this." He marched to the top of the center aisle as you called after him, pausing only for a second to glance back at you over his shoulder, his expression utterly destroyed, and then he opened the door and left.
You made to run after him, but Wally grabbed you, pulled you to his chest. "Let him go, baby," he said, calm and soft, and when you struggled, wailing, folding forward, and falling to the ground, he went with you and cradled you in his arms. Let you cry out everything that had happened; with Aiden, with the farmhouse cellar, with the cult, and Amelia and Anabelle. All of it. Wally held you through it, shushing you, holding your head to his chest, rocking you, kissing your hair between variations of, "I've got you, baby, I'm right here."
As you began to recover, thick sniffs and small whimpers, you burrowed into the safety and comfort of Wally's arms, not wanting the others to see you like that. Unfortunately, you didn't have a choice. Your phone vibrated in the back pocket of your skirt. Wally shamelessly retrieved it, handing it off to Maddie without a word.
"Simon's here." She said, as somber and morose as the rest of them.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Quinn Wu smiled as they greeted the next customer at the box office. It was Friday. They'd planned on checking out Horror Con with their friends. On finally letting loose and enjoying a weekend like a regular teenager. That was until their mom had stumbled in drunk right as they were about to leave, their mom clearly unable to work her shift at Shelley Lavenza Theater. It wasn't busy. They could've called their mom in sick and the other staff could've easily made do.
But their family was hard up for money and the rent was overdue by several days, the threat of eviction already made clear like blood painted on the doorframe. So, there they were, giving their best customer service smile to the next in line.
The woman was old but pretty, her hair tucked under a hat that reminded Quinn of something one would see in the 20s. She wore large sunglasses accessorized with chunky rhinestones that glittered in the fluorescent light. Her cashmere sweater was a simple black, her mink shawl a bright Barbie pink. She hobbled in tall, spiky heels toward the counter, her weight balanced on a cane that matched her sunglasses.
She was fabulous, Quinn thought, certainly the most interesting person they'd ever seen. The woman joked with Quinn as she waited for her tickets to print.
And then...then the world seemed to go quiet. The woman leaned in, her hand grabbing Quinn's when they offered her the tickets. With a grey-toothed grin, she said, "I'm so sorry your mother doesn't love you enough to let you have your own life," truly sympathetic. She lowered her sunglasses on her nose, sparkling blue eyes gazing deep into Quinn's.
Strangely, Quinn wasn't alarmed. Or offended. Or disturbed. They were resigned. As if the woman's words expressed a universal truth they couldn't escape. Quinn nodded, their eyes casting to the countertop.
The woman leaned in further and assured, "Don't worry, pet, I can make it all better."
Quinn's eyes flashed up to hers, hopeful. "Really?"
The woman nodded, "Just be sure to go to school on time and don't skip any classes. Be a good student," the woman instructed, very serious, "and I'll make sure you get everything you want." Her smile remained sweet while her eyes turned sharp. "I promise. But do you?"
Quinn pondered the question, tilting their head and staring at the woman in front of them who could give them everything they wanted. After a few silent seconds, the beat of their heart getting louder in their ears, they answered:
"I promise."
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
Noah Baxter returned late from his shift at the station. Processing Derek Anderson had been a feat, the man vehemently declaring his innocence when Hayes brought up Maddison Nears in questioning. Noah had had to step in and remind Hayes that Anderson's fraud and Maddison's disappearance were separate. For now. Until there was evidence to support the Elroy kid's theory about Anderson's involvement in what happened to his best friend.
Heaving a sigh, Noah slumped into the house. It was dark, quiet. Eerily so. He reached for his sidearm, suddenly on alert, ears piqued for any sounds of movement. Xavier should be downstairs, the sound of senseless cartoons playing while Xavier smoked up and laughed at jokes that shouldn't be funny to an almost eighteen-year-old.
Noah crept forward, gun low, eyes darting this way and that—
The living room light clicked on and Xavier's voice pierced the silence, "Why'd you do it?" Threads of anger and a jarring loss of faith beneath his words.
Resecuring his sidearm, Noah moved into the living room and took a seat in the armchair across from the couch Xavier was slouched on. Xavier had his elbows on his knees, head in his hands, heel tapping the ground restlessly. Noah studied Xavier for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak. However, he didn't get a word out, Xavier tossing something onto the coffee table between them. Something Xavier shouldn't have found, shouldn't have known existed to look for it in the first place.
Wrecked, "What is this, dad?" Xavier dropped his hands and looked up at Noah, eyes bloodshot, expression raw, wringing his hands as he waited for Noah to answer for his sins.
"How'd you find out?" Noah asked, seeing no point in denying what his son was accusing him of. He'd done it. Time was up and it seemed it was his turn to come clean. And, for Xavier, Noah would face it like a man with everything to lose.
"Does it matter?" Xavier croaked as he stared at the item on the table. Bagged, bloodstained, a name Noah wished he could forget stitched in black thread across a khaki hook and loop patch. A name that had come back to haunt Noah since last Friday. Desperate to understand, "Why'd you do it?" Xavier repeated.
Noah sat forward, mimicking Xavier's posture, eyes on the name patch. "Duty," He said simply. That's all there was to it, really, though the truth was far more complicated. Skirting his gaze up to Xavier, Noah posed his own question, almost relieved about the possibility, "Does she remember?"
Xavier didn't have to guess who Noah meant, frowning, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't be a child." Noah scolded, his tone rough and hard. If Xavier had found the evidence Noah had taken from the station, it was probably because you'd said something. It didn't take expert detective work to figure out why, after six long years, you'd finally tell Xavier a secret Noah had been trying to uncover since that night at the old Maheive estate. "I doubt you just settled on picking out the first thing you saw in that box to accuse me of tampering with a crime scene."
Silence. And then, "You made it look like an accident," though it wasn't angry or harsh or hateful. Xavier sounded...lost. "You took his body and rolled his car into the quarry. Why? It didn't even make a difference! Maddie still lost her dad!"
"I did what I had to do." Noah stated firmly and sat up, back straight, gaze boring into Xavier's as if to dare Xavier to question it. "Does she remember or not?"
Shaking his head, Xavier argued, "But you didn't have to do it! You could've told them about—"
"About what!?" Noah yelled, shooting to his feet to loom over Xavier, fists clenched, spit flying, "About how a twelve-year-old girl busted a man's face to fucking pulp?! She would've been questioned, Xavier. It would've gone to trial. That little girl, your best friend, would've had to relive the horror of what she did over and over again when she was already grieving the loss of her little brother. It was a fucking miracle that she didn't remember and I wasn't about to shove her face in the reality of it for the sake of judicial process."
Another long moment of tense silence, the only sound Noah's heavy breathing.
"Did mom know?" Xavier asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Noah fell back into the armchair, scrubbing his face and then folding forward, hands clasped on the back of his neck, eyes shut, "I didn't tell her, but...she knew." He brought his gaze back up to Xavier who seemed on the verge of bursting apart, "It left a gash between us that couldn't heal."
"You're the reason mom left," Xavier swallowed. All those years, he'd thought he'd been the reason. That he hadn't behaved well enough, that he hadn't earned the right marks or said the right things at the right times. He'd been hyperactive and impulsive, prone to tantrums well into double digits. He'd pushed her buttons and driven her crazy, so it'd made sense to him that she'd left because he'd been too much to handle. Xavier's eyes met Noah's, "You let me believe it was me...this whole time."
Noah's breath caught at the look in Xavier's eyes. The plain, exposed hatred in them.
"I didn't mean to, son," Noah said, tone weaker than it'd ever been, "I never wanted you to think it was your fault."
In a flurry of movement, Xavier rose and left the living room, grabbed his jacket and shoved his feet into his boots.
"Where are you going?" Noah demanded, following him.
Xavier didn't turn around, wrenched the door open, and seethed, "I'm going to help a friend look for Maddie." Who can't be found, he didn't add, storming across the lawn to the garage where he'd left his bike.
"Xavier!" Noah called after him, though he only went as far as the door. "Fuck," He slammed the door shut and kicked the umbrella stand before falling back into the wall and sliding to the floor.
‗‗‗‗•‗‗‗‗
You and Simon had just retrieved Mr. Anderson's phone from the top of the lockers. It had been a joint effort, Simon lifting you, your ass pressed into his cheek while he grimaced toward the end of the hall, petrified that your, "dead boyfriend is going to kill me and then I'll be stuck here, too."
"He's not even here, Simon, calm down." You'd rolled your eyes as you'd grabbed the phone. Once he'd placed you on your feet, you'd handed the phone to Simon to hold on to.
Making your way out of the school, Simon asked, "Do you know what Xavier saw?"
You shook your head, "No," solemn, shrinking into yourself as you continued, "And I doubt I'll ever know. He's never going to talk to me again."
You felt Simon's arm drape supportively around your shoulders before he squeezed you into his side, smiling softly as he said, "He'll come around."
"Maybe," You said, not so sure. While Simon had taken the news of your abilities like it was just another day in the neighborhood, Xavier wasn't so quick to move on. He held grudges as if they were missions entrusted to him by the gods. He still didn't trust Hana enough to drink chocolate milk around her after she'd stolen one of his during recess in first grade...
Simon moved the conversation along, "So, you think this Amelia person is still out there. What about that cult? Think she assembled a new team of yes men to sacrifice?"
You pondered the question as Simon held the door open for you to walk outside. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I'll see what I can find about the Something-Something of Dagda when I get home." You turned your head to look at him, "I really hope that whatever reason she had to kill Aiden isn't connected to why Maddie's a ghost."
Simon nodded and then, quite absurdly, said, "And here I thought we were dealing with aliens."
You stopped walking, stunned into silence, mouth gaping as you absorbed his words. At last, after a second or two of staring at him like he'd grown a second head, you blurted, "Aliens?"
"Or mummies," Simon shrugged easily, snickering at you.
You couldn't help it. It began in fits and starts, and then a loud laugh bubbled out of you that was contagious, Simon snorting and laughing along with you. After everything that had happened in the theater, you hadn't been sure you'd ever be able to laugh again. It felt good. Liberating. Your spirit warmed and somewhat renewed in the wake of such a nightmare.
He opened the passenger side door of his car for you, but as he made his way around to the driver's side, you and he heard a frantic, "Simon!" followed by an equally as worked up, "Babe!"
Instantly, you spun around and Simon halted mid-step, both of you drawn away from the car as Maddie and Wally ran down the path from the school. You glanced at Simon and then shifted to meet Wally and Maddie in the bus shelter. Simon's brow furrowed as he waited for Maddie to explain.
All she managed between gasps was, "4-9-5-2-7-3."
It took a moment, but Simon got with the program quickly, pulling Mr. Anderson's phone out of his pocket. He punched in the numbers when Maddie repeated them more slowly. As he did, you unconsciously moved closer to Wally who strung his arm around your waist, stamping a sweet kiss to your hairline, his big hand engulfing your hip. You snuggled into his side, weight leaned comfortably into him, and you felt him give your hip a little squeeze. When you looked up, he was already staring down at you, a soft smile on his face.
"Where does your teacher think you are?" You wondered quietly, gazing up at Wally.
"I told him I was gonna make sure Maddie was okay. She bolted out of there and he was kinda worried." He explained into your hair as he pressed another kiss to your head.
You hummed and rested your head against his chest, happy to bask in his presence until "...You've reached Claire Zomer. Do me a fave and just text me, okay?"
Before anyone could react, you felt Wally tense. "Wait. Isn't that the chick Xavier was cheating on Maddie with?"
There was a pause. You looked at Maddie. Maddie looked at Simon. They both looked back at you. And you, so slowly, panned up to look at Wally.
"WHAT!?"
💀___________________________
OCTOBER SUN PT.27 - PART ONE
also available on AO3!
MASTERLIST
#Milo Manheim#Wally Clark#Kristian Ventura#Simon Elroy#Peyton List#Maddie Nears#Spencer MacPhearson#Xavier Baxter#Wally Clark x Reader#fem!reader#Wally Clark smut#Wally Clark fanfiction#Milo Manheim fanfiction#School Spirits#zed necrodopolis#Disney Zombies#October Moon
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October Sun
summary: Wally had had no idea what he'd been looking at. Had barely had a reaction to it apart from subtle feelings of anxiety. In fact, it hadn't inspired anything more than a shrug and the thought of, "Neat. It's a tree."
pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader
warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.
bon reading, frens
___________________________💀
OCTOBER SUN pt.16
Group adjourned with Mr. Martin's instruction to pick anything but Rudy for tomorrow's Movie Night. Maddie split almost immediately; in pursuit of another lead or to stalk Mr. Anderson, Wally wasn't sure, but once he heard the door click behind her, he sagged in relief.
Too soon, he realized. When he looked up he saw Rhonda bolt from her seat and cut through the center of the circle like a shark through water, Charley on her heels.
"What was that?" She challenged, sizing the length of Wally up with a wave of her bare lollipop stem.
"What was what?"
Charley squinted at him, quickly scanned about before he leaned in and furtively said, "Oh, I don't know. How about that monstrosity of a performance you just forced us to participate in?"
Wally gulped, "I—"
"Spare us the crap, puppycat," Rhonda snipped, "We've seen each other's transcripts."
"I saw him misspell fundraiser," Charley added in a mockery of an anecdote Wally had shared during the session. And then, accusingly, "I know you know what a pun looks like."
Wally found himself on the back foot, mind going blank as he groped for an explanation that hedged the truth enough to get him out of Charley and Rhonda's crosshairs, but that didn't expose that he'd already known about the phone call and Mr. Anderson and the hush money.
"I was just...Uh..."
Unfortunately, Charley and Rhonda were too damn smart and your skill of inventing plausible excuses on the spot hadn't yet rubbed off on him. Inwardly, he reinforced his defenses and prepared for the Spanish Inquisition (nobody expects it).
"Wally," Rhonda said, blade-sharp, and Wally winced at her use of his actual name, "I know you think it's sweet to play clueless meathead in front of your crush—"
Oh. Okay. Sure. "That's—"
"—but, trust me, it doesn't work. Don't dumb yourself down just to get her to like you." Rhonda finished with a long-suffering roll of her eyes. An action that translated to mother-hen affection in a normal person.
"Besides," Charley said, a slack hint of sass to his syllables, "I think she just wants to figure things out. Not play tonsil hockey with a ghost who probably shared biology with the teacher that murdered her."
Wally tried to make his face react appropriately, had no idea if he pulled it off, but Charley and Rhonda didn't comment so he assumed it couldn't have been too bad.
"I don't think Mr. A is that old," Wally mumbled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "But...thanks, guys."
He had to acknowledge that it was nice that his friends cared about him. That they saw him as more than the overexcited golden retriever they often criticized him of being and wanted to make sure he wasn't trying to people-please his way into someone's heart.
Charley's expression mollified, "Anytime, big guy."
In feigned bitterness, "Well, I've done my good deed for the day," Rhonda announced, pushing past Wally to head for the door, "Let's go."
Wally turned as if to follow her, however, he caught Ajay's eye before he could commit to the action. He remembered then what Ajay had told him in the teacher's lounge about showing Wally something he 'needed to see'.
"I'll catch up in a bit," He called after Charley and Rhonda, backstepping toward Ajay to make his intentions obvious.
Charley shot Wally a lazy salute, "We'll be in the library for a while," and then turned on his heel to trail after Rhonda.
After decades of being in each other's pockets, it wasn't uncommon for members of their haunt to seek time one-on-one with each other. Everyone respected the unspoken exclusivity without comment and was especially understanding toward Wally, who had been the only teenage guy amongst them until 1992.
Bernie and Katelynn greeted Wally as he approached Ajay, though soon took their leave, Katelynn with a small and bashful, "See ya, Wally."
"Bye Katy-Cat." He said through a charming smile, ruffling her hair when she came into reach.
Katelynn shoved his arm away playfully, blowing Wally a raspberry before she continued over to the empty circle, immediately setting to work helping Mr. Martin and Bernie stack the chairs.
Wally turned back to Ajay, "Alright, my guy, where to?"
They exited through the side door, sunlight temporarily blinding Wally after having spent an hour sitting in the poorly lit assembly hall. Not giving Wally's eyes a chance to adjust, Ajay took him by the elbow and physically maneuvered him in the right direction.
"It won't seem like much," Ajay said as if in warning, "so you need to trust me." He released Wally's elbow when Wally began to move under his own power, and hurried his stride.
"I do trust you," Wally replied, voice bouncing as he picked up his pace to match Ajay's. "Whatever you're gonna show me, it's gotta be important."
Ajay's ears reddened. "Thank you."
They were headed toward the tree line along the backside of the school, the field spread out to Wally's right. Down the steps, along the path, picnic tables and chainlink fence. Cheerleaders practiced their pyramid and the junior gym class played kickball.
Anxiety began to creep over Wally as they neared the boundary line, a slow and subtle discharge of fear frequency transmitting across his brain in a cold flush.
"Heeey, are you sure this is the right way?" Wally had to ask, his skin starting to feel clammy and too tight on the bones of his fingers. He began to slow his steps, afraid of being circus-canoned back to the 5-yard line, but Ajay plowed ahead without concern. "Dude?"
Wally almost rammed into him for how abruptly Ajay stopped, the toes of Ajay's shoes so close to the invisible line it gave Wally heart palpitations.
"There." Ajay said, pointing at a tree that stood approximately two meters beyond the school grounds.
The tree wasn't anything special. Tall, leafy, burled in various places up its trunk, and roots weaved and whorled around its base, some thick enough to sit on comfortably. Carved initials and numbers and heart shapes by students who'd wanted to immortalize their memory in its bark. It was the kind of thing one would expect from a tree in a private area near a building full of teenagers, really.
"What am I looking at?" Wally asked.
"I don't know what it means, so don't ask me," Ajay stated, clearly preempting that Wally would have questions after whatever Ajay was preparing to demonstrate. Ajay crouched to gather a stone from the ground, "Watch this."
He tossed the stone. It smacked the tree, dislodging a piece of loose bark from the center of a crooked heart—bullseye—and fell without fanfare into a nest of roots, a thin poof of dirt raised on impact.
Wally waited for something to happen. And waited. A n d waited.
"I don't get it." He said after a few uneventful beats. "Was something supposed to happen?"
"It did happen." Ajay insisted, bending to pick up another stone.
That one, he handed to Wally and motioned for him to throw it at the tree. It hit, denting the bark, but again, that was the end of it. Wally peered up at the leaves—unruffled—then down at the roots—inert—and finally back at Ajay who pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Watch this." He commanded, scooping up another stone as he marched a few feet away. "Are you paying attention?" He asked, not unkindly; an earnest bid for Wally's focus.
Wally gave him a tight smile, "Yup," and a thumbs up, taking a few steps closer to prove the point.
Ajay flung the stone. Except, this time, it ricocheted back as soon as it pierced the barrier. Disappeared for a blink and then spat back out, flying in the reverse direction. Ajay threw his arms up and protected his face a split-second before the stone struck him, bouncing off his forearm to land with a thud at his feet.
Wally's jaw dropped, "What the shit?"
"Do you get it now?" Ajay questioned, dusting off his hands as he strolled back to Wally.
With a frown, "Sort of?" Wally reached for the barrier, not quite touching for fear of what could happen and where he'd end up, but just enough to feel its presence warm the palm of his hand. "I guess it would be too easy if we could go through, huh?"
"I attempted it a couple of times," Ajay shook his head, "Either way, the barrier is definitely weakest here. And," He paused, building suspense, "At four other points around the school."
Eyes fixed on the tree, Wally hypothesized, "If we figure out how to weaken it more at any of these points, we might be able to get out of here..."
"We just might," Ajay concurred, "I tried finding information in the library and the computer lab, but—" It was a Christian school board, he didn't have to say, and occult topics were heavily vetted.
There weren't likely to be any useful books available and the online network was limited, browsers blocking sites the school didn't want its students to visit. Wally's knowledge of the latter was an embarrassing smear on his reputation that he'd had to beg Charley to keep secret.
He shoved the memory back in its box and once more buried it in the darkest recesses of his mind.
Never again...
"You think my girl would know how to handle this?" Wally asked despite having already determined he was going to tell you about the barrier's weak points. He just wanted to make sure Ajay was aware and on board.
Ajay shrugged, "She certainly has access to more resources than we do. Couldn't hurt to mention it."
It was settled. Squaring his shoulders and straightening his spine, Wally broke his scrutiny of the tree and turned to Ajay.
"Alright, then, show me what we're working with."
💀___________________________
PART FIFTEEN - PART SEVENTEEN
also available on AO3!
MASTERLIST
#Milo Manheim#Wally Clark#Wally Clark x Reader#fem!reader#Wally Clark smut#Wally Clark fanfiction#Milo Manheim fanfiction#School Spirits#zed necrodopolis#Disney Zombies#October Sun
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October Sun
summary: Wally hadn't been able to make sense of what you'd said. How had it been possible that he and the others had been trapped for so long without knowing it? With that truth out for him to examine, Wally hadn't been sure he'd wanted to look any closer. He'd felt violated. Betrayed. Lost. What other lies had he been unwittingly a part of?
pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader
warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence. very involved, very dense plot.
bon reading
___________________________💀
OCTOBER SUN pt.14
The world fell away as your words penetrated. Wally stilled, didn't breathe, didn't blink, didn't make a sound. As if he could delay the impact of that truth if he shut down critical functions.
Weakly, "What do you...mean?" Wally croaked, but something deep within himself had always known.
Known it like common sense; the feeling like looking at a green sky and knowing it was supposed to be blue. Like being sick since birth yet knowing that that wasn't what healthy felt like. He'd known and yet never questioned it because he and the others had had no way to be sure their situation was terribly, tragically wrong.
In the earliest days succeeding his untimely demise, Wally had tried to leave the school.
Not to follow his mother home after she'd donated his trophies, helmet, and jacket to display in the stadium entrance. Not to join his friends in Rodney's basement to get stoned after his memorial service. Not to break his own heart by stalking Jenny to the motel where she and her second choice prom date, Gary fucking Reid, lost their virginities together.
Rather, to go for a walk for the sake of getting some air. Despite having been flung back to the field multiple times by then—a lesson that had drilled into him the habit of remaining perpetually vigilant of his surroundings—Wally had had this intrinsic understanding that he could roam beyond what the barrier permitted.
So much so that, one evening, he hadn't kept track of where he'd been going (partly because he'd trusted himself to veer away from the perimeter, but mostly because he'd been relaxed. Not actively chasing down a loved one). It'd been an unconscious series of actions; one foot in front of the other, listening to Eddie Money's Can't Hold Back on a Lost & Found walkman, strolling into the thin smattering of trees on the edge of the grounds, and then wham—
Back to Start.
It had happened a few times after that, too. Rhonda would cackle around her lollipop du jour, roll her eyes, and tell him to, "Get smart, Jockstrap."
When Charley had come along, he'd experienced the same thing. And then Ajay and Katelynn. Learning the lesson after the lesson had been learned. Mr. Martin had calmly and wisely informed them that it was merely the result of not having internalized being dead yet.
But that hadn't sat right with Wally, similar to having been given the excuse of roughhousing when he'd caught his parents in a compromising position one innocuous summer-break afternoon before he'd aged into double digits.
"Babe..." Wally croaked, just above a whisper, the weight of what you'd unveiled slamming into his chest and leaving him winded, "What are you saying?"
Your eyes, marbled and bright—though not outright glowing like they had in the theater—stared right into him for a moment. You were obviously calculating what it meant that Wally couldn't leave the high school, all the hows and whys flittering like dust motes between you and him.
"Unless you're a residual haunter, like Mina or Yuri, you should be able to go wherever you want. How long have you been stuck?"
Wally's throat clicked when he swallowed, "Since I died."
You pressed your forehead to his, hands slotting under his jaw, and, voice laced with grief, said, "That's not possible."
"I mean, maybe it is?" Wally tried to reason, slumping back in his seat and staring at the 5-yard line as he stitched together his own theories based on what he'd learned as an actual dead person. "It's not like ghosts wrote those books you read. Maybe whoever wrote them got it wrong."
Shaking your head, "Actually, they did. Not the physical copies, obviously, but those authors collaborated with ghosts to write those books."
Wally didn't know what to say to that. Didn't know if he could answer a lot of things anymore. Did he even know what it meant to be dead?
You seemed willing wait him out as he turned everything over in his head, one hand on his shoulder, the other lifting the one he'd had on your calf so you could string his arm through your legs and cradle his hand on your belly, your thumb rubbing soothing patterns between the bones.
"What does it mean?" He asked, distant.
Wally could feel himself slipping away, the revelation frosting him from the inside and making him numb. He'd had a similar experience when he'd been fourteen and had broken his collarbone. The pain so intense that his brain had immediately severed its connection to the feeling.
Shock.
"It means that something doesn't want you to leave." You answered once he'd returned his eyes to yours. Your features creased, "Or someone."
Wally felt that statement like a nail through the chest. "How?"
You stared at him helplessly, caressing his cheek and then tilting forward to press your foreheads together again. The action worked to ground Wally, reeled him back from the edge of an existential crisis he wasn't ready to have.
Regretfully, "I don't know, Wally. But we'll figure it out, okay?"
He nodded against you. Closed his eyes and absorbed the warmth of your nearness, the solidity of your touch. Allowed those things to calm him.
"At least we can rule out Mr. A having anything to do with that, right?" Wally snorted in an attempt to lighten the mood.
You pulled back, smiled gently, and nodded, "Right. But he could've used it to his advantage. With her soul stuck here, Maddie wouldn't be able to get back into her body and then go to the police. It also means that he could've safely stashed her body anywhere, so long as he has access to life support."
"You think he dropped her at the hospital?"
"Not here." You said, "Split River isn't big enough to pull that off. He could've driven her to another state? Dropped her off at a big city hospital as a Jane Doe?"
Wally grimaced, shaking his head at the depravity, "That's messed up."
"God, her body could be in Detroit for all we know and it wouldn't get back here until someone in the hospital there made the connection. Unless Sheriff Baxter decides to widen the search."
"Couldn't you ask him? It's like you said, Xavier's your brother from another mother. Wouldn't the sheriff listen to you?"
You didn't seem convinced, reciting in a satire of an upbeat tone, "Hey Sheriff, I think my teacher knocked Maddie out of her body and took it to another state all so she wouldn't tell you about the money he's hiding in his classroom. We should totally look into that."
Wally responded in a responsible manner, "That sounds like an awful idea, let's not do that."
Curling against the back of your seat, voice slightly strangled, you uttered, "So, Maddie's stuck in an In Between 'til I can find her body and bring it back to her."
Wally sensed the granite mass of the pressure you were already putting on yourself. Choosing to steer you out from under it, he diverted the conversation, "Still haven't told me what an In Between is, by the way."
It did the trick, at least for the time being. Your lips quirked up at the corners and the wrinkle between your brows vanished as you informed him, "It's exactly what it sounds like. A plain between plains."
"Yeah, pretty thing, you're going to have to dumb it down more." Wally said, willing to sacrifice his dignity for the sake of making you smile.
Grinning, you set the stage, "Think of plains like different worlds. I'm in the living world, you're in the dead world, right?"
"Got it."
"Now, pretend there are doorways into those worlds. In Betweens are the spaces between the doors." You nibbled your bottom lip and Wally's attention immediately slipped, the urge to lick into your mouth making him twitch. Sweetly unaware, you back-tracked and tried a different avenue, "Not doors...maybe glass walls?"
"The door thing made sense. I mean, I think I get it. In Betweens are those places that anyone can access, whereas the living world is just for the living and the dead world is just for the dead. Am I close?"
"Yeah, you got it." You praised and Wally had to stifle the desire to puff out his chest and preen. "Well, not anyone can access In Betweens, but if your soul can Travel, that's where you go."
"So, when you project, you're in an In Between." Wally stated, though he was hedging for clarification.
"Exactly."
"And you said Maddie's stuck in an In Between, too, right?"
Wally saw the moment you clocked where he was going with that train of thought.
With a lamenting sigh, you said, "Unfortunately, In Betweens are complex. They're unique to all kinds of things like bloodlines and soul-ties—" Wally opened his mouth to ask, but you got there first, "—incredibly deep bonds you make in life with another person." He closed his mouth and listened as you elaborated. "So, me and my great-aunt enter the same In Between and can see each other. But Maddie..."
"Isn't blood?"
"And she and I weren't close enough to form the type of bond you'd need to Travel the same In Between. Either she'd have had to invite me into hers or I'd have had to invite her into mine. It's extremely intimate. Not something you do with someone you only hang out with in a group." You perked up and finally gave Wally a full, supernova smile. "I actually wrote you some notes."
The implication conjured an image of you scribbling notes for him under light cast from a laptop screen, kicking your feet as you lay on your bed like a schoolgirl. All so that he could understand the twisty, twiddly secrets of the universe...
He swooned, barely holding back a wistful exhale.
And then his brain ticked back a few frames to you on an unmade bed. The collar of the oversized t-shirt Wally hoped you owned bearing one shoulder, and the smooth skin of your legs on display.
He couldn't care less about the state of his deadness now, and what it meant that he couldn't leave the school grounds. Instead, he let a slow, devilish smirk slant across his mouth, emboldened by hormones and how receptive you were as he leaned into your space.
He slid his hand from yours and placed it on your thigh, "Gonna let me copy your homework, baby?"
"Gotta get those grades up before the big game." You played along, "Don't want you kicked off the team."
Without hesitation, Wally struck, halfway out of his seat, hand gripping the armrest behind you to hold himself up. He loomed over you, little thing that you were, squished into your seat and completely caged in by him. He hovered, heard your breath hitch, and watched your gaze go hazy.
"Lucky to have a girl like you on my side, then, huh?" Wally said, voice rough, tightly controlled, closing the distance between your lips in increments.
You reached up, wrapped your arms around his neck, "Damn right, big shot," and dipped in.
A throat cleared somewhere over Wally's shoulder, from behind and moderately above, and drove him back into his seat at Mach speed, his hold on you resituating to a socially acceptable place on your ankle. The interruption was accompanied by that arcing of gravity that emitted from a living body which meant Wally was once more on the outside looking in.
"Okay there, hot shot, time to get moving. Students aren't s'posed to be up here outside'a game time." The maintenance worker said, illicit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.
Wally noticed the man wasn't quite looking at you, and, for the first time, he had to wonder what the hell people saw when you and he were together while you were still in your body.
You pulled yourself up as fast as the angle allowed you to without injury, foot still tucked in Wally's lap. As soon as your head peeked above the back of your seat, the maintenance worker clutched a hand to his heart and plucked the cigarette from his lips.
"Jesus, girl, you can't do that to folks." He scolded you, southern accent thickening, "Lookin' like a zombie comin' out the grave or what."
"Sorry," You said and sounded as puzzled as Wally was by the man's overreaction.
"Just hurry up and get goin'." His eyes swept in a strange pattern, away from you then back then away, fixing on a point that would have been Wally's nose if he weren't invisible. "You kids these days thinking you can be wherever you wanna be, huh? Ignoring the rules, like they don't apply to you..."
God, this guy. "Can it, asshole. Give her a minute to get up." Wally snapped, bolstered by the fact that the man couldn't hear him. "Bet you're bent outta shape because all that nicotine makes your dick about as useful as a wet napkin."
He heard you choke on a laugh that you quickly masked under a cough.
The man squinted, lips pursed in aggravation. Surprisingly, he departed with no more than a gruff, "Get gone!" and stuck his half-burned cigarette back into his mouth.
Wally glared after him as the man marched up the stairs toward a ladder open beneath a curtain of cables and metal that spilled from the ceiling. Clearly, the man had been in the middle of fixing something when he'd seen you.
"Fucker." Wally grumbled. He patted your leg, pressed a kiss to your knee before he released you.
"I appreciated the support," You giggled, "Even if it doesn't do much on my side of things, it's nice to know you have my back."
"I've always got you, baby." Wally vowed as he unfolded himself and rose to his feet. He couldn't help tacking on, "Every bit of you," with a wink that made you pink up so prettily.
You wetted your lips, ducked your face into your shoulder; shy after you'd been caught in what might’ve been a very awkward position. "I'm starting to get that."
Wally let you take the lead, enjoyed how you brushed up against him as you shuffled out of the row and onto the stairs. He shot the man one last angry look as he grabbed his jacket and then turned to trail you across the field and out of the stadium.
At the top of the grandstand, feet from the ladder, the man examined his cigarette through a profoundly glum expression.
With a grunt, he dropped it to the ground and crushed it under the thick sole of his work boot, simultaneously pulling the crumpled, two-from-empty pack out of his breast pocket and whipping it into a nearby trashcan.
💀___________________________
PART THIRTEEN - PART FIFTEEN
also available on AO3!
MASTERLIST
#Milo Manheim#Wally Clark#Wally Clark x Reader#fem!reader#Wally Clark smut#Wally Clark fanfiction#Milo Manheim fanfiction#School Spirits#zed necrodopolis#Disney Zombies#October Sun
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