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Wednesday’s stomach had been acting rather strange for weeks now. She was not overcome with nausea or dealing with any crippling pain--unfortunately. No, this was far different than anything she’d ever experienced. To be accurate, it felt like a jolt of electricity coursing through her. And it only occurred around one person.
Tyler .
But why? Wednesday had pondered this during many sleepless nights. It seemed to happen suddenly during the most mundane interactions with him. At first, she believed he might have had a shock buzzer in his hand, seeing as he couldn’t naturally produce electricity like her Uncle Fester could. No, that wasn’t it. She’d paid particularly close attention to his hands during her last visit, much to his confusion and found them to be empty.
The situation stumped her and she did not like that feeling. Something was causing her to become out of sorts within his presence. It happened with no one else. She tested out the theory by copying her interactions with others but nothing came of it. Except for an excruciating discussion between her and Enid, the wolf having gotten the ridiculous idea that Wednesday had feelings for Ajax and was prepared to defend her relationship with the gorgon at all costs.
Wednesday made a mental note to purchase a handful of silver bullets for later use.
After her experiment, she knew without a doubt that Tyler was the root cause of these stomach troubles. Was he aware of it? He had not verbalized anything nor had his facial expressions given any indication that he knew what was happening to her. Another thought occurred to her and she wondered if he was doing it to her on purpose.
Yes ! It all made sense. Tyler must be poisoning her.
It gave her a thrill. The innocent looking barista was trying to assassinate her? It gave Wednesday a whole new appreciation for this decrepit town. There might be hope for it yet if an attempted murderer was living amongst them, able to blend in so well.
She’d never known a poison to cause similar symptoms. She thought back to previous times with Tyler beyond the stomach troubles. She supposed there had been a time or two she’d perspired. Her heart had beat a little too fast when she’d been doing nothing more than sitting as he approached her with a fresh quad.
She’d have to ask him what poison he used.
“What kind of poison did you use?” Wednesday showed up at the Galpin house unannounced as per usual. His back was facing her, searching up a topic that did not capture her interest on his computer and he jumped like he always did.
“What?” He said when he turned around to her, furrowing his eyebrows.
“I know you poisoned me,” she said matter-of-factly with near delight. “I must admit, I never suspected you to be capable of such a thing. What did you use? I never tasted or smelled anything.” Unless it was a powder he’d on his hands. She hadn’t felt anything but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. It could have been so fine that she wouldn’t have been able to notice anything amiss.
Tyler’s eyes darted over to his bedroom door that was left ajar, probably to ensure that his father was not listening in on the conversation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never--why do you think I poisoned you?”
“You can quit the act, Galpin,” Wednesday said impatiently. “I know it was you. I experienced the symptoms.”
“Symptoms?” he repeated slowly.
“Yes, the stomach troubles mainly. But I also perspired when I was in your presence as well as a fast beating heart. I’m not certain as to what you used but I know it must be something rare as I have never heard of these symptoms occurring with any of the common ones,” her eyes gleamed. He’d not only tried to harm her but he did so with an uncommon substance. It was turning out to be a much better afternoon than she originally anticipated.
When Tyler went silent, Wednesday knew she had him. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t confessing to anything. She was not angry with him. Perhaps she should be for a normie being able to get one over on her, but another part of her was secretly impressed that he actually managed to do it.
“I suppose I should thank you,” she added.
“Wednesday,” Tyler broke the silence that followed, appearing hesitant to continue, “do you think your, uh...symptoms could be from something else?”
“Such as?” She frowned.
Tyler rose to his feet, giving her a shy smile. “What do your stomach troubles feel like?”
Nothing she could decipher. Flopping. Swooshing. An inexplicable feeling that she was falling, or rather her stomach was. Wednesday explained it to him, watching his face stay blank until it lit up, then mellowing out to something more natural.
“And that happens when you’re with me?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Uh huh,” he said. ‘Wednesday, sorry to say, but you’re not being poisoned.”
“I am not?” She was disappointed. But that soon turned to curiosity. “Then what is happening to me? What have you done?”
He chuckled softly. “Don’t hate me for saying this, but I think you like me.”
“No,” Wednesday did not like anyone. Especially not in the context he was undoubtedly referring to.
“No?” Tyler stepped forward, with her eying him the whole time. “Then can I try something?”
“Try what?”
Taking that as her giving him consent, Tyler slowly put himself into Wednesday’s space. She was instantly on guard, tensing up out of instinct. He reached for her hand, still giving her time to pull away if she didn’t want him to hold it. She did not, freezing up when her stomach flopped around like it had been doing. Breath hitching, Wednesday stared up at him.
He smiled softly. “See, no poison.”
“What have you done?” She demanded, her voice betraying her when it wavered ever so slightly.
“Nothing,” he intertwined their fingers. “I think you like me, Wednesday.”
That was not a conclusion she ever came to, nothing she would have ever considered even for a brief second.
“But that's okay,” his smile had gone nervous now, “I like you too.”
“ No !” That was ludicrous.
“Why not?”
“I don’t like anyone,” she said, taking a step back.
“You don’t?”
“No,” she said defiantly.
“I don’t believe that.”
“Whether you do or not does not concern me,” she said.
Tyler gave her the smile he always did. The dopey one that didn’t look as stupid as it did on other people. “I think you feel it too, Wednesday.”
“That is impossible.”
“Is it?”
“I’m going to prove it,” she told him.
“Oh, are you?”
“Yes, while not feeling anything.”
He arched his brow questioningly.
Yanking him by a fistful of his shirt, Wednesday kissed him. She was immediately thrown into a frenzy of unfamiliar yet not entirely unpleasant sensations. Tyler’s arms came around her waist while her hands dug into his hair, nails scratching his scalp.
“Still don’t feel anything?” He mumbled in between.
“ Silence ,” she growled, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. Red was a marvelous color on him, a stark contrast to the light pink of his lips.
“Don’t stop,” Tyler moaned when she pulled back to peer at her handy work.
The way Wednesday was looking at him could not be described as anything other than positively wicked. Pushing him back against his wall with a resounding thud , she let her hands explore underneath of his shirt, feeling the toned muscles of his abdomen as she resumed their earlier activities.
“I may have been hasty with my words,” she leaned her head back so he could sink his teeth into her neck.
“Yeah?” He said breathlessly.
“I’m certainly feeling something now.”
Thoroughly engrossed in each other, they did not hear the Sheriff coming into Tyler’s room.
“What was that sound, Ty-” He cut himself off, swearing loudly.
Still each other’s arms, she and Tyler shared a glance before turning their eyes on his father.
“I can see my words mean nothing to you two,” he sighed.
“You are correct,” Wednesday agreed, not even caring that he was still in the room as she pulled Tyler back in for another searing kiss.