Chapter Text
The pen shook in Tyler’s hand as he tried to fill out the week’s inventory order. He felt dirty. His skin crawled as he thought about hands trailing over him. Hands that he didn’t want on him. Hands he couldn’t disobey no matter how much he may want to. The last time had been just that morning. The soft knock on the back door of his house had sent unpleasant chills through his body but no matter how much he had wanted to run, he couldn’t. Not with Laurel on the other side of the door.
A chime rang through the building and Tyler took a deep breath, stealing himself to face whatever customer may be at the counter. He only had a few hours left of his shift and as soon as he was done, he would be able to go home and scrub himself clean.
The office door swung shut behind him and he turned to look toward the front, just to be confronted with intense, dark brown eyes staring intently back. Tyler’s breath caught in his throat, already feeling dread run through him.
Despite any orders Laurel gave him, to be quiet, to keep her secrets and do her bidding, Wednesday made him challenge it all. Even before he knew that Wednesday was the key that Laurel so desperately needed, he knew there was something special about her. In just thirty seconds of their first meeting, he was already hooked, and the more time they spent together, the more he wanted her. It was a scary feeling, to want something outside of Laurel’s orders. It had been a long time since he’d felt much more than rage or an urge to submit, and he was addicted to it already.
For the hundredth time, he contemplated telling Wednesday everything but felt sick at the thought.
“Hey. Your usual?”
Her shrewd gaze didn’t leave his as he moved behind the counter and he felt, like so many times before, that she could see to his very core.
“Something’s wrong,” she finally stated after a moment of silence.
So many things were wrong that he couldn’t help but nod in response, although she hadn’t been asking. Despite his successful lies and deception, she still managed to read him incredibly well. She may falter at understanding the why, but she always noticed.
“When are you done with work?”
“I’m off at five.”
“I’ll wait. Bring my quad to my booth.”
The rest of his shift flew by, coffee orders broken up by stealing glances at Wednesday, who never looked up from her book. He knew that, despite that, she was likely still more aware of her surroundings than anyone else in the building. At five o’clock, he finished the last of his work before changing and sitting across from Wednesday.
“Hey, so why were you waiting for me?”
“Because something is wrong and Enid has informed me that I need to get better at being... a friend.”
He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Friends?”
“Don’t push it. Where can we go?”
He froze, unsure of what his next move should be. His orders would prevent him from telling her anything of value, anything that could actually help him, but she was smart enough that maybe she could figure it out and help him, But did he really want to have this conversation with Wednesday? Did he want to risk saying more than he should? Confessing to... everything? He thought about Laurel’s hands leaving bruises on him.
“My house. My dad shouldn’t be home until late, so we’ll have a few hours at least.”
The ride there was quick and quiet and before Tyler knew it, he was leading Wednesday upstairs to his bedroom. With the door shut firmly behind them and Wednesday perched on his desk chair, Tyler began pacing.
Hey Wednesday, I’m the monster that’s been killing people in the woods and I’m being raped and controlled by one of your teachers and I have instructions to get close to you and thwart your investigation and eventually kidnap you so she can you use you to bring Joseph Crackstone back to life to destroy Nevermore and try to eradicate outcasts, so I’m just having a little bit of a stressful week is all.
“Tyler?”
It was the concern in her voice that broke him. Other people might not have noticed it, but he studied Wednesday Addams like it was his job, and he’d never heard her sound like that before.
“I... need help. But I have orders and they’re impossible to break and I don’t know how to tell you what’s wrong without breaking them.” It was hard to keep his voice even as he spoke, his vague words already triggering an urge to shut down.
“Orders that are impossible to break? Are you cursed?”
He shook his head.
“Interesting. How would you be given orders that are impossible to break unless you were cursed? Siren?”
“No.”
“Hmm. We’ll come back to that. I assume your orders involve not telling anyone who is giving you them or what they are, so I’ll have to come up with a way around that. Are you in any immediate physical danger from the person giving you orders?”
A shiver went through him as he once again imagined hands on him.
“Not,” his voice cracked, “not life threatening.”
“But danger, nonetheless.”
“Yes.” Tears filled his eyes and he tried to blink them away. He wouldn’t cry. He would get through this conversation and everything would be fine.
“Are other people in immediate danger from this person?”
“Yes.”
“Is this other person the monster.”
Tyler paused. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, to admit. His spotty memory, his terror, the acceptance, how delicious the taste of fear was. “No.”
“But they’re associated. Interesting. Do you know who the monster is?”
Silence. He stared into her eyes, wishing for her to understand. Her expression was unreadable.
“Can this person order you to do more than just keep their secrets?”
He nodded hesitantly, feeling like he shouldn’t but sure that it didn’t go against any explicit orders.
“And you can’t disobey?”
Hands all over him, hands he didn’t want, orders that he had to follow, orders he never wanted to follow. “No... I can... sometimes... misinterpret. But not... not a lot.”
“Have they hurt you recently?”
He flinched and nodded.
“Today?”
Another nod.
“Let me see.”
Tyler hesitated. He knew what the bruises looked like, how obvious a story they would tell. He didn’t want her to see but he was so desperate for help. With shaking hands, Tyler pulled his shirt off and turned his back to Wednesday. While it showed off the bruises and scratches on his back, it also allowed him to hide the tears now falling.
A gentle hand touched his back and he flinched for a second before leaning back into it. These were hands he welcomed, it was different.
“Do you have orders to prevent me from figuring out who this person is?”
Silence. He didn’t think he could respond, even if he could get past the shame he felt.
“Can you tell me what the monster is?”
He shook his head and glanced back at her. Behind her, a manila folder sat on his desk and he stared at it. He didn’t think he could hand it to her outright, but he wouldn’t stop her from taking it.
Her eyes followed his before landing on the same folder, the only thing on his desk that looked out of place. She looked back up at him and he could see in her eyes, she understood. He just had to hope that now she would help him.
“Tyler!”
The bedroom door flung open and Tyler jumped, his heart pounding.
“Dad!”
Sheriff Galpin glared between Tyler and Wednesday, his eyes settling on Tyler’s back.
“What the hell happened to you?” he demanded, marching into the room.
Tyler could feel himself start to shake, nervous and unable to answer the question. He turned around and shot a pleading look to Wednesday, unsure what to do. It felt like his stomach was in his throat and everything was crashing down around him. It had been a bad idea, he shouldn’t have let Wednesday in.
“It’s my fault,” Wednesday began, drawing Sheriff Galpin’s attention to her. “I... was rougher than I meant to be. I need your first aid kit so I can dress the scratches properly.”
Sheriff Galpin’s eyes flitted between Wednesday and Tyler for a moment before sighing and walking out of the room. He was back in moments, a first aid kit in hand.
“Patch him up and then the two of you will meet me downstairs. Leave the door open.”
“Yes sir.”
After his footsteps faded Tyler looked at Wednesday. “You didn’t need to-”
“Stop. Sit on your bed and turn around so I can clean you up.”
Following her orders was as easy as breathing. The cold on the alcohol wipes on his back gave him something to focus on, a sting that wasn’t caused from malice. Wednesday worked in silence and Tyler took the moment to try to breathe evenly, his pulse slowing from its rapid speed.
“My dad’s going to sit us down for an incredibly uncomfortable conversation now.”
Wednesday hummed dismissively. “That’s fine, I believe you’ll agree that your father lecturing us about safe sex is preferable to any other conversation regarding these scratches.”
He nodded. Her hands on him soothed the itch he felt, made him feel more in control.
It wasn’t much longer until Tyler heard the click of the first aid kit closing, his back doctored to Wednesday’s satisfaction. She remained quiet as he slipped on his shirt. Together, they shuffled down the stairs, and Tyler mentally steeled himself for the conversation to come. Wednesday had been right, the sex talk with his dad was far preferable to the alternative.
Sheriff Galpin was sitting at the kitchen table when they walked in and silently the pair joined him. Tyler opened his mouth to speak but the sheriff held up his hand to stop him.
“I know I can’t stop you, so I won’t bother trying, but I need to know you’re being safe.”
“I’ll trim my fingernails.” Wednesday’s deadpan delivery coupled with her words made Tyler inhale sharply, trying not to laugh.
Sheriff Galpin rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”
“Relax, we are at no risk of pregnancy or disease, I assure you.”
With a sigh, the sheriff made eye contact with Tyler. “Just... be safe and come to me if you need anything. That goes for you too, Addams.”
“If I need your assistance, I know where to find you.”
He nodded, his shoulders sagging as if they held the weight of the world. Tyler knew that feeling well. “Tyler, get her back to campus before she misses curfew. We’ll talk more when you get home.”
“Yes sir.”
Though long silences had been common since Tyler had met Wednesday, he couldn’t help but feel tense at the quiet in the car on their way back to Nevermore. Parking outside the gates, he turned to look at her.
“Wednesday-”
“I’ll break the curse and whoever is doing it will pay.”
Wednesday’s eyes flashed with something Tyler couldn’t name, but made his heart feel tight in his chest. If anyone could help him, it was her.
-
When Wednesday got back to her room, she pulled out the manila folder.
Francoise Galpin.
Hyde.