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“Dad, can I talk to you for a second?”
Tyler paused the movie he’d been watching, sitting upright so he wasn’t taking up all of the space on the couch. He smiled at his son after he’d turned off the television. “Yeah, of course.”
Dean came over with reluctance. For a couple of days now, Tyler had a hunch that something was going on, he just couldn’t pinpoint what that something could be. Dean was neither acting out or visibly sad, but every so often there’d be this slight falter in his expression, further puzzling Tyler.
When his son sat down but didn’t say anything, Tyler probed a bit. “What’s up, Bud? Everything okay?”
“I guess.”
Tyler placed his hand on Dean’s back. “Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me. You know that.”
“I guess,” Dean repeated quietly. “But will you tell Mom?”
That kind of threw Tyler for a loop. It had him wondering what this might be about if Dean didn’t want Wednesday to know. Right now, she was out on the job and would be away until much later tonight. That was probably why Dean had sought him out now. “Uh-”
“Please don’t tell her,” Dean rushed out and said. Whatever was going on, it stressed him out. “Please, Dad. Just let it be between us.”
“Okay,” Tyler eventually said in the hope that it would calm him down. “Just us. I promise.”
It did reassure his son somewhat, but he was still chewing on his lower lip- a nervous habit of his.
“It’s just,” he shifted position, “I don’t wanna upset her.”
What could he have to say that could possibly upset Wednesday? Tyler frowned. “Okay. What is it? Is this about sex?”
He doubted. But usually the only thing Dean refrained from speaking in front of his mother was sex related topics as he was too embarrassed.
“No,” Dean shook his head. “It’s not that.”
“So what is it?” Tyler said carefully.
Dean wouldn’t look him in the eyes, his gaze having fallen to his shoes. “Does Mom ever talk...about me?”
“What?” Tyler said, confused. “What do you mean?”
“Like...” Dean was struggling to explain this, his voice getting progressively quieter. “You know, about me having visions?”
“No.” Wednesday hadn’t said anything about that, even with Dean’s birthday approaching this week. She was more focused on her parents, who’ve been bugging her lately. According to her, while buying a video game for Dean that he’d been wanting for months, Pugsley bought one for himself and soon enough, Morticia and Gomez were playing too. Tyler thought it was hilarious to hear that they’d asked Wednesday to join them. “Why? Did you get any?”
“Not yet,” Dean said disappointedly. “It’s not fair! Mom said she got hers at fourteen.”
“Well, maybe you’re just a late bloomer,” Truth be told, Tyler didn’t completely understand how outcast powers came to be. Some were obvious like Enid’s werewolf lineage, but the visions through the Addams family line were more confusing for him. He assumed they eventually appeared alongside puberty but he wasn’t sure.
“Or I’m just a normie,” Dean said glumly.
“ Which there’s nothing wrong with,” Tyler told him. “Your mom and I love you just the way you are.”
“Doubt it,” Dean muttered, so quiet that Tyler strained to hear it.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
But Dean had evidently said too much. Clamming up, he shrugged. “Nothing.”
“It didn’t sound like nothing.”
Dean shrugged some more.
“Hey,” Tyler said, sounding softer this time around, “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what the problem is.”
Dean let out a groan, burying his face in his hands and exhaling deeply. “I just...I don’t want Mom to be disappointed in me if I really am a normie.”
“What?” Tyler was really surprised to hear this coming from him. “Why would she be disappointed?”
Dean let out a gusty sigh, sitting back against the couch. “I don;t look like her.”
That didn’t do anything to alleviate Tyler’s confusion. “Okay...?”
“Uncle Pugsley makes fun of her for it all the time.”
“Does that bother you?” Tyler said, concerned. Pugsley did indeed tease Wednesday, but that was never intended to be taken the wrong way. Just normal sibling antics. Wednesday wasn’t offended, and she got her brother back for every remark that left his lips.
“Kinda...” Dean muttered. “I get it, I’m the odd ball out, but they don’t have to keep reminding me.”
Tyler made a mental note to discuss this with Wednesday at a later time.
“And I dunno,” Dean continued, “I just don’t feel like an Addams. Getting visions would be, like, the one thing that Mom would be proud of me for. Everyone else in the family is an outcast. And if I’m not... ” He fiddled with the end of his shirt, “I don’t want to embarrass her.”
Tyler’s hand came under Dean’s chin, gently lifting his head up so their eyes would meet. “Hey,” he said, serious, “Dean, your mom loves you more than anything. You don’t need to have any visions for her to be proud of you. She’s proud of you already.”
“Really?” Dean said in a small voice.
“ Yes ,” Tyler smiled softly. “I know she is. And you don’t have to worry about embarrassing her. She’s not going to be embarrassed if you’re a normie. She might have a few choice words if your Grandpa Don says anything about it-” Dean laughed lightly. “Besides, no one on your mom’s side will care. They don’t care that I’m not an outcast.”
“But that’s different,” Dean said, the smile dropping. “Abuelo was talking about me going to Nevermore, and Uncle Fester was talking about a whole new generation of Addams going and I just-” he trailed off, shrugging again.
“That doesn’t mean they’ll hate you if you’re not one,” Tyler said comfortingly. “You know them, they get excited. You remember when they thought your mom was pregnant again.”
It was all because of a vision his mother-in-law had in which she saw a crib and a black rattle. She’d naturally assumed Wednesday was expecting, but in reality, they’d been giving away some of Dean’s old things to Enid so she could give them to one of her brothers and his wife.
It caused a huge stir, though, before the truth came out. Wednesday had been furious and severely agitated when they started to receive a slew of congratulations from her various relatives.
“Yeah,” Dean said. “Mom almost killed Abuela.”
“Yeah...” Tyler shook his head. “But listen, Dean, I’m serious. They’re not going to love you any less. They’ll probably throw you a party to celebrate another normie being in the family if that’s the case.”
His joke fell a little flat. Dean didn’t laugh this time.
“Have you talked to your mom about this at all?” Tyler asked gently.
“No...”
“Don’t you think you should? You’re not doing yourself any favors by keeping it a secret,” Tyler pointed out.
“Mom doesn’t talk about feelings.”
“She’ll talk about them for you,” Tyler said, which made Dean go silent.
Tyler was able to coax Dean into speaking with Wednesday. His son requested that he be there too so he would.
Later on that night, Wednesday returned and was currently decompressing from a long day. Tyler laid on their bed, listening to her rant about an idiot coworker of hers that compromised their evidence and the entire case.
He spotted Dean lingering in their doorway, gesturing for him to come in. Wednesday was in their bathroom to brush her teeth so she didn’t know he was there yet.
“Mom?” Dean said nervously. Wednesday stepped halfway out of the bathroom, her toothbrush in the corner of her mouth. “I need to talk to you.”
She waved to him, indicating to wait a moment. After spitting out the remnants of her toothpaste and wiping off the outside of her mouth, she said, “What is it?”
Dean began to fidget. He wasn’t necessarily scared of his mother, but given the subject matter and her natural tendency to stare into someone’s soul, he was a little apprehensive.
It didn’t help that his beloved wife became impatient easily. “Well?”
“Uh, well my birthday’s on Friday,” Dean muttered.
“Yes,” Wednesday raised a brow. “Is that all? We’re well aware of the date. And if this is your attempt at hinting for another gift, the flyers you’ve left around here were enough.”
“No,” Dean said strongly, only faltering when Wednesday turned back to look. “It’s not that. It’s...it’s about my visions.”
“Is that right?” Wednesday said mildly. “You’ve gotten them already?”
“No,” Dean had to admit. “Not yet.”
“Then what about them?” Wednesday said.
Tyler decided to chime in to help things move along. “Dean came to me earlier to talk,” he said, glancing at his son and then looking back at his wife. “He’s worried that he’s not going to get any visions.”
Wednesday’s gaze flickered to Dean. He could see that her expression was slightly less agitated.
“He’s also worried that he’s going to embarrass you,” Tyler said carefully.
“Why would you embarrass me?” Wednesday asked without hesitating. It put Dean on the spot.
“Uh, well-”
“You can tell her, Bud,” Tyler encouraged him.
“Tell me what ?” Wednesday said. She didn’t like to be kept waiting.
Dean bowed his head, a few curls falling in his face. “Would you be disappointed if I didn’t have any visions?”
Wednesday must have been stumped by the question. She was thinking, which only made Dean anxious as he interpreted that as confirming his fear.
He started speaking again, rushing his words out. “I just...I don’t feel like much of an Addams and I know Uncle Pugsley teases you about it and I don’t want you to be embarrassed if I’m a normie. And I’m pretty sure I am because I haven’t got anything yet and you said you got yours at fourteen-” He stopped to take a breath, still watching and bracing himself for the worst.
Tyler couldn’t even tell what his wife was thinking. In times like these when all she did was look, it was hard to say.
“I just want you to be proud of me,” Dean said quietly, daring himself to look at her face. “That’s why I was hoping to get them already. What if I don’t and I don't go to Nevermore? I don’t want you to be ashamed-”
“Dean,” Wednesday came to stand in front of him, “look at me.”
So Dean did.
“I don’t know where you got such a preposterous idea,” she said with a huff. “I’ve never once referenced your psychic abilities or lack thereof, have I?”
“Well, no.... ”
“Have I ever spoken negatively about you to anyone?”
“No,” Dean shook his head.
Wednesday sighed a little. While not one for showing affection as much as Tyler did, she did pull Dean into an unexpected hug. “Listen to me because I’m not going to repeat myself,” she said sternly. “Regardless of what you are, I love you. It will not change. Even if you started listening to obnoxious boy bands or wore neon.”
Dean smiled a bit at the grimace she wore, and so did Tyler.
“And whatever anyone else has to say, it doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ve never cared about what other people have to say and I’m certainly not going to start now.”
Dean leaned in to hug her again, his face in her shoulder. “I love you too,” he mumbled.
“Yes, yes,” she patted him on the upper back. He let go, quickly rubbing his eyes.
“Uh, and there was something else too,” Dean said, taking a deep breath.
“What now?” Wednesday said, looking between them both.
Dean was considerably less nervous than before but he was a bit on edge now. “I don’t like how Uncle Pugsley keeps talking about how I don’t look like you.” Wednesday remained silent, but thoughtful. “I guess he doesn’t mean it in a bad way but I hate hearing it. It just, I dunno, makes me feel like he doesn’t like me as much because of it.”
Silence permeated in the air for a moment or two.
“How long has this been bothering you?” She asked.
“A while, I guess.”
“And you haven’t told me?” Wednesday said in disapproval.
“I didn’t know how,” Dean shrugged. “I didn’t know if you’d care, honestly...”
Wednesday was offended. “You don’t think I would have cared?”
“No...” Dean’s voice was getting quiet again. “Not really. I mean, I figured you’d just tell me to get over it.”
“When have I ever said that to you?” Wednesday frowned.
“Never.”
“Then why would I do it now?” Wednesday said. She reached up, for Dean was slightly taller than her by now, to quickly kiss his forehead. “I’ll take care of it. Do not worry, mijo.”
“Thanks,” Dean said with a shy but appreciative smile.