Request by readbetweenthylines
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"What's your biggest fear?" Wednesday asked. Both her and Y/N sat at the bank of the Nevermore lake. The sun was making a golden haze of the warm, summers sky. Y/N wished he could bottle it up like an elixir of life in a tiny glass vial.
"Why would I tell you?" He hummed back, raising a brow as he set his hands behind himself to prop up his abdomen. "Knowing you- you'd wake me up with my biggest fear and call it a joke."
Wednesday scoffed and brushed past his comment. She had her reasons for asking, primarily so she could protect him from what he feared- she had no idea why she felt it was her duty to do so. "What is it?" She pushed.
He puffed out his cheeks in a moment of thought. He wasn't sure what his biggest fear was. "I don't know..." He murmured.
She huffed. "Is there nothing that... keeps you up at night- makes the cold nights restless?" She continued to question. Her temper had been a little short that morning, Y/N recalled her saying something along the line of 'Enid broke the ink filter on my typewriter and hours of work got ruined'.
"Snakes are pretty scary." He finally answered- though he wasn't confident in his answer even if he was honest. He really didn't like snakes but he wasn't irrationally fearful of them.
"Really, Y/N" She snapped, obviously catching onto the fact he wasn't entirely sure on his answer, and the fact she found his answer almost insulting. She didn't believe him- plus, she didn't think snakes were scary at all.
"What? I've had nightmares about snakes before." He admitted, turning his head so he could look at her.
"God- you are just," She paused as if debating whether to finish her sentence. "Insufferable." She finished, almost through gritted teeth and a clenched jaw.
"I don't understand what your problem is- I told you something I'm scared of." He shot back, sitting forward as he brought his knees to the embrace of his arms.
"You're not taking me seriously- you never do." She hissed, her words stung him like a snake's bite laced with venom.
That wasn't true. His brows knitted together as his disposition grew offended and unsure. Wednesday was one of his only friends at Nevermore- like her, he was an outcast amongst the outcasts. A crow and raven, both abandoned by their flocks. A His throat grew tight. "What do you mean?" He asked as his voice became quiet. The morning sun shifted as it settled behind a dense patch of trees.
She failed to see how her words were biting at his feelings. She turned away from him. "You don't talk to me the same way you talk to everyone else- its like you see me as some little kid- And you get all giddy and happy whenever we pass one another in the corridor and you smile at me- and frankly, its getting on my nerves." She blurted out.
Y/N caught a rare signing of genuine annoyance on her pretty features. His jaw clenched as he got to his feet. "Alright." He said, before setting off- away from her and the lake, towards the Academy. He didn't bother looking back while Wednesday staired at the back of his frame until he couldn't see him anymore.
The pair didn't talk to one another for a while after. For three days, Y/N didn't show up to any classes. Maybe four, five days passed before they even saw one another again- passing one another in the corridor and while Wednesday made an attempt to acknowledge Y/N, he didn't even bother gazing down at her. It infuriated her- and yet she couldn't blame him. She knew his response to her words was reasonable. The guilt she felt was like a hive of maggots and a million worms had begun eating through her organs while the pressure of tears waging war behind her eyes felt like a fuzzy fungus was trying to push through. She felt awful. She hadn't meant to say those words to him- he just caught her in a down mood and she was malicious enough to take out her frustration on him. A moment of sonder swept her away. Of course, she knew that everyone around her were all living their own lives- but only through her immense guilt and worry did she truly realise that their emotions were just as real as her own. Living through feelings as complex as the ones she was experiencing- and that included Y/N.
It was only by chance that she would find him in the library. While she initially intended to find a book to read in order to take her mind off Y/N. She debated on whether or not to approach him- whether she should apologise and spill her feelings out to him. But that was an egocentric desire. She only wanted to do that to take the weight off of her own back- in no way did she believe that it would help mend their friendship. In fact she fully believed it would only make things worse, and yet, she still sat at the same table as him once she found her desired book- although she was a good five chairs away.
For a long while, there was nothing but silence between them. The tension was eating away at Wednesday.
"This is my biggest fear." Y/N spoke, finally breaking their near week long deadlock but he didn't lift his head up from the book sat in front of him.
Wednesday cocked her head as she turned to look at him. While her face was blank of emotion, her chest beat against her ribs. She could feel her pulse in her throat. "What do you mean?"
"I'm scared that you hate me."
She gripped onto the fabric of her black knitted sweater. The burning behind her eyes grew stronger, like someone had just poured a gallon of gasoline on the blaze. She knew his fear. Still the urge to protect him stayed. "I didn't mean what I said. I was just frustrated." She excused herself before looking away. His demeanour seemed as blank as her own. "You know I consider you a friend."
He shook his head. "Do I know?" He asked rhetorically.
"Do you think I've put up with you for all of these months because I enjoy having someone to hate? That I just want another burden on my back?" She questioned. He remained silent. "You don't seriously believe that I dislike you, right?"
Y/N stumbled on his words. "I don't know... How am I supposed to know if you like me or not- that you don't just keep me around like a mutt out of pity?" He rambled.
She hurt him. Really hurt him. She got up and walked around the table, taking the seat next to him. "Look at me." She demanded. He seemed reluctant but he did as he was told, only to find her eyes reddened and brimming with what seemed to be tears. "Do you understand how difficult it is to make me smile? And yet you make me smile nearly daily." She ranted before a slender finger raised and pointed to her eyes. "And look at this- have you ever seen me cry- get upset and emotional like this? This is because of you." A small smile came to her lips while a lone tear trailed down her cheek. She was quick to wide it away.
"Are you okay?" He asked. His voice sounded tender and he looked genuinely concerned. Seeing her cry was like watching a waterfall fall upwards.
"What, you don't think I can be emotional?" She deadpanned before choking out a small giggle. Two more tears escaped and again, she wiped them away but the trail they left behind remained.
A phase of panic showed. "No- that wasn't what I meant-"
"It was a joke." She cut him off, shaking her head in amusement. "You really can be so slow-witted sometimes." She told him.
He relaxed and shook his head. "And you can be extremely disturbing and self-centred sometimes- do I complain?"
Her face settled as her lips pursed together. "No... You don't complain. Ever." She admitted. A look of pained confusion masked her features.
"What?" He questioned.
"I-" She broke off as her brows narrowed. The confusion was replaced with disbelief. "I think I just fell in love." She breathed, barely louder than a whisper.
"Oh- Uhm... Good for you." He replied, almost sounding defeated.
She caught on to his tone of voice. Her fist clenched and drove into his shoulder. "With you- you stupid dunce!" She jeered.
He seemed to be focused more on the pain he was experiencing rather than her admittance of love as he cradled his shoulder. "Ow! Why the hell did you-"
She never gave him the chance to finish his complaint as he was nearly tackled out of his chair- his book was knocked off of the table and to the floor in the flurry. She lunged into him, while her arms wrapped tight around his neck- practically sitting on his knee, her lips against his, but only for a moment as the rush of embarrassment came to. She hid her face between his shoulder and neck in the hopes of disguising her reddening cheeks.
Still bound by confusion, Y/N's mind raced as he tried to pick at the situation. "Ohh-!" He sounded as he finally came to a conclusion. He felt her head shake- presumably in disbelief at his stupidity. But he didn't care- because he grinned from ear to ear as his arms moved right around her waist.
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*Insert Thor smashing mug gif here* ANOTHER!