Work Text:
Tyler knew she was coming before she'd even made it past the cemetery gate.
The heady scent of jasmine, typewriter ink, and old books permeated his senses as Wednesday came up the path to stand next to him. For a while, neither of them said anything. They just stood side by side staring at the graves of his parents. Eventually, he was the one to break the silence.
"Did you come here to finish the job?"
"I have no intention of killing you,Tyler. To be honest, I never did."
"Then why are you here?"
Wednesday's gaze remained fixed on the gravestones, her voice measured and devoid of its usual sharp edge.
“For as long as I can remember, I've always had an obsessive need for control–over my surroundings, my decisions, and especially my emotions. I believed that if I fortified myself enough, I'd be impenetrable to outside influences. But then you came along, and I discovered just how little control I actually had."
Tyler remained silent as her voice permeated the quiet stillness of the graveyard.
"I wasn’t angry because you deceived me," Wednesday continued in a tone that was almost fragile,"I was angry because I let myself be affected. I had started to accept that it was okay to open myself up to someone else...but your betrayal shattered all of that, and I didn't know how to handle it."
"Is that why you wanted to become my Master? To feel in control again?"
"I thought so, at first, but the truth is..."
She turned towards him, and he was surprised to feel cold fingers intertwine with his own.
"The truth is I fell in love with the monster just as much as the man...and I had no intention of losing either of them."
"What about now?" He whispered, throat suddenly dry as he stared at their entwined hands,"after everything that's happened...do you still want to bring a monster into your family?"
"In my experience, family isn't who you're related to...it's who you're willing to spill blood for, and I have no qualms about murdering another one of your relatives to keep you."
"I don't have any relatives left to kill."
"How unfortunate."
Her lips curved into a subtle smile, and Tyler couldn’t resist pulling her into a full embrace.
He didn't know how he was going to deal with the mess his life had become…but with Wednesday by his side, he wouldn't have to view the wreckage alone.