Work Text:
Donovan was going to lose his shit soon. Very soon, in a matter of speaking.
It all started the day Tyler had decided to go 'rogue' with his old group of friends. They had vandalised and trashed Xavier's mural two years ago. Tyler didn't look remorseful. He didn't care that what he had done was wrong. He didn't believe that he deserved punishment for it.
So Donovan had done the only thing he knew he can do... he had shipped Tyler off for a few months to a military camp.
Big mistake. Huge mistake.
When Tyler came back- he was calmer, more held back. He also felt different. Like something inside of him had awoken. Donovan hadn't questioned it.
He was glad though- that he sent Tyler there. Because Tyler had seperated himself from his old group of friends, seemed sorry for his actions, and changed. He became, better. That should've been the first sign.
The rest of that year, and all of the months that led to his first encounter with Wednesday, father and son had spent countless nights arguing, and fighting. Neither remembered what most of them were about. Both regret words said, but no apoligies were made.
That was their relationship for as long as they knew of. With Donovan picking up extra shifts as an excuse to stay out late, and Tyler throwing himself to work in the Weathervane basically everyday- they tried as hard as they coud to avoid one another.
That was months ago, they were doing much better now. Or so Donovan thought.
You see, there were still many things the two disagreed upon. What takeout to eat on Friday night. If they should rewatch 'Clueless' for what seemed to be the millionth time ("I don't understand why it has to be rom-com!" "Because I like a little fun? You should try it!"). Or why on Earth Tyler was dating the Addams girl.
To be honest, Tyler didn't know either. Well he knew that he definitely was into her. She had forgiven him for everything he had done a year prior, going as far as to defending him to the Nevermore school board so he was allowed to attend.
No, Tyler didn't know why exactly Wednesday had agreed to date him- he put her friend in the hospital, killed innocent people, and worse of all- betrayed her trust. But they got there in the end.
Sort of.
Three months after Tyler was taken to an institution to manage his Hyde, Wednesday found herself constantly thinking about him. Despite her intentions to visit him to gloat over his captivity, she was plagued by doubts about their past relationship and his feelings for her, questioning whether his affection was genuine or just a cover-up. During their visits, Tyler apologized for his lies and the danger he posed, and after some uncertainty, they both confessed their feelings, with Tyler admitting he loved her.
It was enough for Wednesday to want to release him. Good thing he did.
Then when he went back to live with Donovan, and Wednesday was at Nevermore, he would sneak in for regular, 'sleepovers'. Wednesday couldn't stop herself from loving him again. Tyler couldn't help himself loving her forever.
They started dating in October. It was now the middle of January. Tyler had just come back from a week-stay with Wednesday and her family back in their home in Vermont.
Donovan told him not to go. Tyler went anyways.
Donovan would never admit this- at least not out loud. But he had sort of- no, definitely missed Tyler. Not just from that week trip. From when Francois died. From when Tyler was shipped off to military camp. From when his Hyde was unleased and he didn't know a clue about it. And especially when he came back to Jericho, and decided to attend Nevermore rather than go back home.
A punch to the gut and another crack in his heart. Donovan was so sure he was going to crack.
"I'm home" Tyler said, exhausted. The trip was filled with fun, danger, and of course, many, many, many, private moments with Wednesday which he made sure to take full and complete advantage of.
Donovan just raised his head in a greeting, giving his son a weak smile. The day had just begun. Donovan was already dressed in his uniform, prepared to get to work. But here he was, sitting at the coffee table with a newspaper in between his hands, and two cups of (drip) coffee on the table. One was already half-drunk, the other was still steaming hot.
"How was it?" He asks casually. Yes, he was upset when Tyler had gone to spend the week with his girlfriend, leaving him alone. Again. Especially during the New Year, but he had gotten over it quickly. Tyler had promised to give him a call at the end of every night for the week. So asking him 'how was it' was kind of useless, but he was trying to work on their relationship.
They both were.
Aside from attending therapy together, neither saw the other unless it was on the weekends or if Donovan was taking him (and his new group of 'meddling kids') back to Nevermore. Which unironically was too often to count.
"Good. I had raccoon stew last night" Donovan couldn't refrain from making a gagging motion and scrunching his face up. Tyler laughs. It brightens up the room and causes Donovan to smile. "It wasn't that bad" Tyler tried defending, but the lie was obvious. He sets his bags down by the couch and walks to take a seat at the table. His eyes peer over to the other coffee mug before taking it into his hands and gulping down a big sip. The hot liquid burns down his throat but it tastes a whole lot better than last night's dinner.
Donovan laughs as he watches his son guzzle down the coffee, most likely trying to eliminate any of the raccoon from prior. "When do you head back?" He asks, standing up and patting Tyler lightly on the back. Elvis comes around from a corner and jumps up to Tyler, joyed that he's back. Tyler bends down to pet his dog properly, accepting slimy kissees.
"Wednesday" Tyler answers, Donovan rolls his eyes. Ironic.
"She's here right now or you're heading back to school on Wednesday?" Donovan asks, trying not to sound to disappointed. Tyler was completely head over heels in love with her. Tyler had admitted it out loud every chance he had gotten, not that anyone was questioning it anyways.
From the ways his eyes grew large at just a simple glance at her, how his cheeks flushed red because she brushed past him in school, and how even the sheer mention of her sent visible jolts through his body- it was obvious. Tyler Galpin. The Hyde. In love with Wednesday Addams. The Raven.
A match made in hell.
"Heading back" Tyler confirms, letting Elvis go play around the house taking both empty cups of coffee to the sink. He'll deal with them later, after a much needed nap. "Aren't you meant to be at work now, dad?" Donovan isn't sure if Tyler asks because he was hoping to come back to an empty home or because he was genuinely curious. The latter he assumes.
"Waiting for you" He answers. Tyler beams.
"Thanks" Son and father give each other a nod, neither used to this amount of, 'affection' towards another. They stare at the other, an awkward silence looming over their heads, Donovan breaks it first.
"I'm off to work now, Ty. But I'll pick up a pizza tonight?" Donovan was trying, he really was.
"Sure, that sounds great. Thanks, dad" Tyler answers happily before to the stairs. He picks up his bags and slings them over his shoulders, about to yell a 'bye' to his father when Donovan stops him mid-way.
"I'm... happy you had fun with the Addams'" He tells Tyler who smiles even more. Then Donovan leans in, taking Tyler into his arms for a hug. Tyler is surprised at first, but leans in to and wraps his own arms around his father.
The two separate quickly, not wanting this to become an occasional thing.
"See ya' later" Tyler says, heading up to his room.
"See ya' later" Donovan echoes, a little sad.
Work was, work. As it always was. There hasn't been much happening in Jericho lately, causing the sheriff to feel, bored. He should be relieved and proud that the little town he had spent his entire life in was safe and protected, but he couldn't help it.
He found himself wishing for something to happen. Maybe another murder crime? No, enough lives were already lost. What about a burglary? Jericho doesn't have enough income yet a fancy store waiting to be robbed. Or an illegal gambling ring? Yeah, that could work. Small enough that no one could possibly get injured but big enough for him to do some real investigating work.
He could only hope.
"You okay there, sheriff?" One of his coworkers ask, snapping him out of his trance. He shakes his head and stretches his arms high above his head.
"Tired" he replies, groaning a yawn. Except he wasn't tired, just restless.
"Well I've got a case for you" Donovan jumps to his feet, finally something good. "Woah there. It's small but hopefully it'll keep you occupied for a couple of hours"
"That obvious, huh?" The sheriff exclaims, embarrassed that he wasn't able to hyde his boredom. His coworker smiles and tells him that a group of teenagers from Jericho High (Tyler's old school) were planning on vandalizing one of the graves. He bids his coworker goodbye before heading down to the local cemetary.
When he arrives, there was indeed a group of delinquents spray-painting graves and headstones like they were nothing more than a grey canvas. Donovan shoots a pistol into the air, startling the teens. They try to make a run for it, but are cornered down by the sheriff.
"You guys got nothing better to do?" He asks, putting away the pistol into his belt and walking over to them. Four kids. Three boys and a girl. The girl had a blond bob. donovan recognises her as someone who used to be in the same year as Tyler. Stephanie or something was her name. Donovan glances over to the boys, not surprised that he rocognises them all too. Damien, Jason, and Tim.
"Who invited the cops?" Damien snarkly asks with a roll of his eyes.
"Don't be a dick" Jason says with a mischievous smirk. Stephanie just leans agaisnt a headstone, checking her nails for chips, clearly bored and uninterested of the situation in front of her.
"Told you guys we shouldn't have done this in broad daylight" Tim comments under his breath, avoiding the sheriff's eyes.
"Let's head back to the station to call your parents' Donovan says, rubbing his eyes. This wasn't how he expected this to go. It was over before it had even begun.
"Go ahead, call our parents. I'll sue you for arresting the son of Wayne enterprises!" Damien shrieks, head high.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go" Donovan answers, trying to move the reluctant teens along.
"Don't look at me like that," Damien sneers, annoyed. "Like you wouldn't do shit if your son was about to go to jail for a petty crime. Oh wait, he already did"
Donovan's head snaps to the kid, fury rising in his head. The other kids seem to notice and join in on the taunting.
"Yeah. I bet you Tyler only got out because you decided your reputation as the sheriff was more important" Jason comments.
"You kids better stop thi-" But Donovan is cut off by Tim.
"Or what? You'll get him to 'Hyde' out on us?"
"That would be pretty hot" Stephanie dreams, earning a look from everyone around. "What? He has a six-pack and would definitely be amazing in bed"
Donovan grimaces at hearing his son have some sort of 'sex-appeal'. The boys gag.
"That's enough!" Donovan yells, ready to put an end to all of this. But they weren't done. In fact, they were far from it.
"Come on, sheriff. Can't you let us go? We promise to be good boys who obey their masters" Jason retorts, batting his eyelashes. His friends giggle.
"Want me to beg? I'm really good at it" Stephanie teases, leaning her body over to display it like she was some sort of trophy.
"You really have a problem" Damien retorts with a snort. The boys all take side step away from her as she glares at them.
"Can't you let us go this once? We promise we won't do it again" Tim lies through seething teeth. Donovan snorts and rolls his eyes (again).
"Like hell you won't! I'm making sure you four are grounded until you graduate if you keep running your mouths!" Dononvan threatens.
"Oh, come on! This is totally unfair!" Stephanie shrieks. "Now Yale won't accept me!" Like she was going to get accepted into Yale, Donovan thinks.
"Yeah! This is abuse of power!"
"My father will be hearing about this!"
"Wait. Does this mean we are riding in your cop car? Cool!"
"Dad is so going to kill me!"
"Not if you kill yourself first with all the makeup you wear- I swear you're practically eating it"
"Oh shut up! At least I don't need daddy's money to get me out of this"
"Guys, why couldn't we have gone out bowling instead"
Their voices overlap with meaningless chatter, causing the sheriff to exhale deep breathes to prevent himself from having a heart attack. How badly he wishes that he was at home right now with Tyler, eating pizza, and watching his stupid rom-com?
"That's it" The sheriff huffs under his breath, pulling out four pairs of handcuffs from his belt. The kid's eyes widen and their mouths drop into an 'o' shop. Looks like the sheriff has finally beaten them.
Moments later their in his cop car. All handcuffed, the teens sit miserably with Stephanie in the front with the sheriff and the boys in the back. Each have a frown that looks like it hurts to make.
"Totally not cool" Tim mutters with his arms crossed agaisnt his chest.
"Why are you arresting us anyways?" Stephanie asks, trying to see if she can break free out of her cuffs- she can't.
"Because vandalism is a crime. A petty crime." Donovan sighs, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white.
"Shouldn't you be focused on the actual dangers of Jericho..." Jason implies, leaning forward in his seat, "...Like, I don't know. All of Nevermore?"
"Just because they're outcasts doesn't mean they're criminals too" The words come out of his mouth faster than he can register it. No way in Crypt was Donovan, Donovan Galpin, defending outcasts. Seems like Tyler's rubbed off on him. He would be proud, if he was here right now.
"What about the actual criminals...Tyler for one" Damien says with a matter-of-a-fact voice. Donovan sighs heavily.
"Don't talk about my son, again." He sternly scolds, so done with them. They obey and an uncomfortable silence fills the car. the radio hums low in the background as the kids try to figure out more ways to annoy the sheriff. Jason thinks of one and tries again- knowing this was a sore subject.
"What about... wednesday?" He asks with a smirk. It was infamous that the sheriff and Wednesday could not stand the other. With his past with Gomez, and the fact that she was now dating his son, there was no way he would defend her.
"What about her?" Donovan asks, not comprehending that they were just trying to rile him up again.
"How do you feel that she's dating your son? Must be a horrible feeling knowing she's his master" That question comes from Stepahnie and throws him off guard- how the hell do they know she's Tyler's master? He was going to have a talk with his son when he got home- knowing him he probably screamed it at the top of his lungs to 'brag' about her being the one who gets to control him.
"We aren't talking about that" He answers gruffly.
"Why? Because you feel bad for him or because you're mad it's her" Damien muses.
"Just stop talking, you're giving me a migraine"
"Oh come on, you're no fun, sheriff" jokes Damien causing the others to cackle.
"I for one wouldn't want her to be my master if I were Tyler," Begins Stephanie who turns her whole body to face the sheriff. "I mean, she's so... cold and black-and-white. She must be so boring. Plus, there's no way their relationship is real. Everyone knows she hates affection and all that, 'love' stuff in general. I bet you all that she just wants the monster within him"
Donovan clutches the wheel tighter, she had absolutely no idea what she was talking about! The boys ponder at her words, realizing that what she said was most definitely true. They've heard rumours that Wednesday's allergic to colour, hates being touched by anyone and everyone, and prefers her own solitude than that to the company of others.
"So, it's like a one-sided relationship?" Jason asks, now genuinely curious.
"Yeah. Tyler does all the work during sex while she lays motionless underneath him, telling him to 'hurry up" Jokes Tim.
"No way! She's definitely on top and bosses Tyler around. He's like a real-life sex doll!" Stephanie counters, watching the sheriff cringe at the conversation topic.
"I do not want to be discussing, let alone hearing my son's sex life!" Donovan yells at them, hoping for a topic change. He gets that.
"What would they even talk about?" another question from Jason. Damien and Tim agree.
"Murder and death probably. I feel like there's no difference with talking to her and then talking to a statue" Damien answers, serious. Donovan almost wants to laugh. The boy isn't wrong there, but he's still completely mad that they're shit-talking his son and his future daughter-in-la-
Wait, what? Donovan thinks, wondering since when did he see the Addams girls as anything other than trouble and her parents? That she was now officially, his future-daughter-in-law, at least in his head? That everything these kids thought about her, were wrong?
Well, they were right about some things but Donovan wouldn't give them that pleasure of being right.
"Enough!" He yells so loud that he loses track that he was driving and skids slightly off the road. They all scream as he directs the car back on track.
"Geez, come down, old man. We were just trying to lighten the mood up" Jason scoffs, leaning back into the seat and manspreading his legs. Dononvan sighs and puts all his focus on driving, hoping the teens were finally done talking.
They weren't.
"You know, Wednesday probably doesn't deserve Tyler anyways. He's like a puppy dog and she's... she's like a snake. She could definitely strangle him to death"
"Great observation" Donovan says with a click of his tongue.
"I don't know why you allow him to date her. They're so incompatible"
"Believe me, I was agaisnt it" He shouldn't have admitted that.
"Maybe she manipulated him like how Thornhill did before everyone found out he was... you know, a Hyde." That does it. Donovan was losing his shit. He flicks the indicator to the right hard and parks off next to the road. The car comes to a halt as they kids wonder why they've stopped in the middle of nowhere.
There were a lot of things Donovan could handle- a murder here, an occasional drug ring there. But comparing Wednesday to that disgusting women who had abused and tortured his son for months to the point of almost no return? Yeah, hard line crossed.
Now. Donovan was already mad- at both himself and the kids. Them for saying all this shit, and himself for not doing more to stop it. Really, they were insulting Tyler and all he could do was beg them to stop talking about his 'experience' in bed! Father of the year goes to...
Wednesday Addams was many things. A pyscho. A Raven. The daughter of someone he had once despised so much. A top-student who barely has to do anything to achieve the highest grades possible. Someone who has gone through hell and back just to save Tyler. The girl Tyler inevitably fell in love with. The girl who had saved Tyler's life. And in doing so, saved Donovan's too.
He doesn't know what he would've done if Tyler was still kept in that lab. It wasn't like he wasn't allowed to- he just didn't have the courage to. First his wife, and now his son? Donovan's failed them both. So that's why he won't fail him this time.
"Why'd we stop?"
"Did you forget where the station is?"
"Are you letting us go?"
"Shut up!" Donovan roars, turning around to face them. They sit still and quiet, now understanding that they've finally done it. "None of you know anything about my son, let alone Wednesday! What do you think gives you the right to talk about them like you personally know them? That girl- Wednesday? She is nothing like Thornhill. Don't ever go comparing the two, again. Wednesday saved Tyler's life. She loves him for him. Sure, the girl's a little spooky but she is the only person I know who would be everything Tyler's ever wanted in a person. Keep talking shit like this and you all will be spending tonight in a cell. Am I understood?" They nod, scared senseless. "Good. I don't want another word until we get back to the station"
He exhales a breath he hadn't known he was holding in. Feeling a little better, he starts the car again and continues the ride. And as he demaned of them, they don't say another word until they get to the station and Donovan hands them over to one of his coworkers.
"Got pepperoni pizza" Donovan exclaims as he walks through the front door. Elvis comes up to him and runs around in circles. He can hear the television play in the background- a live baseball game. He makes his way to the couch to find Tyler under a blanket with his eyes glued to the screen.
"Oh hey, dad!" Tyler greets excitedly. "Sweet. And you made it just in time for the final pitch" Donovan smiles before placing the pizza box on the table and sitting down opposite to Tyler. He takes a slice for himself and then hands one to Tyler who scoffs it down like he hasn't eaten anything proper in a week (that's because he hasn't).
They don't talk much. Occasionally to make a comment on a player's form or if something happened that caused the team they were rooting for to lose points. As the pizza is slowing being finished and the game is about to end, Tyler pipes up.
"Thank, dad" Donovan assumes it's because he got pizza for dinner, so he doesn't turn it into a big deal.
"No problem, Ty" Tyler just smirks and returns his eyes to the screen.
What he doesn't know is that Tyler wasn't thanking him (just) for the pizza.
What he doesn't know was that his body cam was on the entire duration of the car ride back to the station.
What he doesn't know was that one of his coworkers had seen the footage AND then had sent it to Tyler.
What he doesn't know was that Tyler had watched it and felt so proud of his father, that he called Wednesday to tell her.
And, what he doesn't know is at that very moment, right now- Wednesday was vandalizing each of the kid's homes as he finishes the bite of his pizza.