Sharing this headcanon I have in honor of Autism Acceptance Month ♡
Disclaimer under the cut
Disclaimer: I’m aware that the disabled villain trope is problematic in itself and Venable is kind of a jerk, so I’d like to make it 100% clear that this hc’s come from a place of love and care, it is something that brings me a lot of comfort. Also I’m not demonizing these autistic traits (some of which I present myself), nor am I trying to use them to excuse any of Venable’s actions.
A/N :This is the new series with Cordelia and Wilhemina (with reader). There’s a few out there that I have gone back and read a few of them to make sure mine and theirs aren’t the same. So, if somehow they are the same I apologise. That isn’t my intention at all.
If you haven’t read the Mystery woman series, the link for it are below.
You are teaching the younger students about a new spell, most of them are excited to know more and some were a little afraid. It was a simple spell but if done wrong can cause a little chaos, which you could deal with. Once you had set them on the task of reading the page and taking notes of the noteworthy things you had written on the chalkboard, you spaced out for the time being A little yawn passed though your mouth, with the late nights of being unable to sleep. Looking out of the window for the time being, you remember the time you were the one sitting in front of the teacher doing the exact spell.
I don’t know if anyone is into super thorough behind the scenes looks at creating a painting series, but if you are, I just posted a video going over the entire process of creating the Queen of Horror Storypaintingshere
I did however want to make a post pointing out “hidden” details and the reasoning behind certain creative choices for each piece.
The Medium
Side panel designs are a combination of various wood paneling and shapes seen around the house and staircase
Glass panels are referenced from the glasswork surrounding the front door of the house
Upper wood design is referenced from the dining room chairs
Background design is inspired by wallpaper seen in various rooms
The Journalist
Boarder design is pillars/structural details from the asylum common room
Background is the skylight above the main staircase
The Supreme
Cordelia is specifically drawn/designed to appear somewhere in between her looks from Coven and Apocalypse (but closer to Coven)
Top boarder design is a combination of details from the coven’s outer gates/wrought iron fence
Boarder inspired by various furniture pieces seen in the house
Monochrome colour scheme for optimal Coven aesthetics™️
The Twins
Traditional circus poster vibes
Boarder is referenced from various wood carving details on old circus carts/wagons
The Hotel Guest
Main shape/design is the Hotel Cortez room key fob
Side panel designs are light panels that appear around the hotel bar/elevator
Room 64 plaque
The Actress
Tree design/colouring is based on the My Roanoke Nightmare title card art
Blood moon
Shelby was added/kept in for a variety of reasons but specifically having it be a double character piece helped balance out the overall layout of the series with the twins also being in the second row with Sally in between
The Senator
By far the hardest design to some up with
Honeycomb design based on the various posters/promotional material for the season
Clown group also based on promotional teasers, added to attempt to visually represent the idea of a cult
Bottom banner/ribbon features the cult’s clown masks in an Americana style
The Outpost Leader
Bottom design is a combination of her cane and candelabra
Side candle design is based on candle holders seen throughout the outpost
Upper boarder/background based on the dining room fireplace
Added as much purple as possible into the shadows/overall colour scheme because it would have been a crime to do otherwise
The Painter
Concept was to have the overall design quite literally read as a painting
Background landscape was an attempted guess as to what her final masterpiece could have looked like
Frame referenced from one of her other framed paintings
Lower beach landscape referenced from that beach scene sorry about the footprints in the sand
“You no longer feel worthy to be part of Mina’s life, after an unfortunate accident. So you push her away, but will it work?”
Tears of anger are streaming down your face without any control. You feel as your eyes have been clawed out. You’re shaking and sweating, breathing is all of the sudden so hard, you feel like fainting in any moment. Your heart is beating rather quickly, it’s hurting your chest in an unspeakable way. The nurse had called Wilhemina, despite your protests and now it was only a matter of time before she saw the conditions in which you were in. “What am I going to do now?”, you mutter to yourself as you bury your face in your hands. Normally you’d lift your knees and lean your chin above them, but not today. Your body wouldn’t listen to your plea. Things between you and Wilhelmina weren’t exactly roses and flowers. Last time you saw her was a week ago, when after a fight, caught with rage, as the only things you could hear were the harsh words of hers, you had left. And she had let you, despite noticing the little hesitation in her tone of voice, as she encouraged you to walk through the front door if you had the guts. You had no one else in town, and the only person the hospital could get in touch with was Wilhelmina.
A familiar sound gets straight to your belly. It makes you freeze. Your wish you could hide, disappear from that room, and you almost chuckle at the thought of being unable to do that. Firm and decisive steps echo through the corridors of the hospital until they slow up and stop right in front of the door, yours. You can hear one last tap of the cane, as if Wilhemina wanted to announce her presence to you. Your eyes flutter close for a moment and let your back dive into the large seat cushion behind you, trying to take your emotions at bay. You weren’t mad at her. You could never be. Your love for her was so deep, that in spite of everything, whatever might happen, you’d always come back to her. But would you know? Could you? Your hands are still covering your face, as you try to put a stop at your pathetic tears. You really want to see her, but on the other hand, all you want is to push her away. You can’t trap her with you. You owe her. All you want is spare her the sight of what your life would have been from now on. You love Wilhemina and you want her. A part of you, more than ever, needs her. But you can’t be selfish. You can’t do this to her, and despite the pain that most likely would have never left you, you’re willing to let her go. At all the costs.
When the door opens, you grasp the bed sheet that are covering the nightmare you’re in. You don’t turn around; you can’t really find the strength to do so. Look into her eyes and see the wrath, the resentment, the confusion and God knows what else, would have been too much.
Wilhemina is mad, you can tell by the way she breathes. The sounds she makes, how she exhales and inhales and how she rubs the top of the cane with her fingernail. You don’t need to look at her to notice. Guilt invades you; it hits you like a cold shower. “Why?”, her voice is stern and firm, but her eyes, if only you turned around, you’d realize they were one step away from tear up. She tightens the grip around the cane with both of her hands and her knuckles turn white. You let out a shaky sigh and say nothing. You bite the inside of your cheek and lightly shake your head. “Five days, y/n. For five days I haven’t heard from you”, she moves a step towards you, but you stubbornly keep your gaze elsewhere, as you mentally beg her to let you go. You’d shout at her if you could. Tell her mean things with the only purpose to push her away, but you’re weak. You’re a pathetic human being, that now can do anything good anymore, neither for her nor for yourself. You’re useless. “Only today a nurse decided it was appropriate to give me a call and tell me that my girlfriend had an accident and she never asked for me”, there’s hurt in her tone, you can hear her voice waver as she speaks.
Your heartbeat quickens and you feel like sweating. “You shouldn’t have come”, you lower your head and your eyes flutter close, as in the hope that once you reopen them, Wilhemina will be gone. “The nurse made a mistake”, you harshly say. “I’m fine, but I’m not coming home. You can leave”, you say these words with apathy, a feeling you didn’t know you could show at command. Your tone has never been so flat before, and it amazes the woman in front of you.
Wilhelmina’s brows meet in a confused frown. She shakes her head without understanding what you’re saying. Her lips part open to speak, but for a matter of seconds nothing comes out. For once in her life, she is left speechless by your unusual numbness. Wilhemina finds herself thinking that maybe you were worse off than you looked. “What does it mean you’re not coming home, y/n?”
You snort and roll your eyes. It hurts so much to be a bitch to her but what other choices do you have? You stare the pale wall in front of you covered with ripples and your lips cross in a bitter smile. It reminded you of your damaged soul. “I can’t”, you say, your voice’s barely above a whisper. “I just can’t”, it cracks and new tears invade your cheeks and cloud your eyes that no longer shine with life. Wilhelmina can’t accept that. That meaningless answer. You see her with the corner of your eyes as she stubbornly doesn’t take any step back. You know she loves you. You know she needs you. But now, she doesn’t want to have you in her life. It’s for the better. The sooner she understands that, the better. “Just leave me alone!”, you clench your fists and your arms shake in the attempt to prevent yourself from doing something stupid. “Go away!”, you shout, your eyes are puffy and red.
Wilhemina is getting anxious at this point. A mix of feelings is turning her stomach upside down. She really doesn’t understand or maybe doesn’t want to. You’re breaking up with her? You’re really pushing her away, and for what? A stupid fight? No, Wilhelmina would have never let you do that.
“Stop acting like a child and look at me”, she slams her cane on the floor, making you open your eyes on a snap, startled by her tone. She is crying too. A cascade of silent tears is invading her beautiful features. Her eyes have never been glossier. Her forehead is grieved with concern, and you realize just now how worried she might have been for you. Her lips quiver and her shoulders tremble as if she was about to fall on her knees. It was all your doing. She was feeling so miserable because of you. And that was only the beginning.
“Mina, I-”, you sniffle.
She cuts you off with a wave of her hand. “The nurse told me you can leave this bed and you will. Right now. You’ve been away from me enough for my liking”, she sounds more desperate this time and your heart shutters into pieces. She takes a couple of more steps closer to you, until you can smell the sweet scent of hers. Her gaze softens when she lifts your chin with a single finger. You try so hard not to sob at her touch, but she notices how hard you’re trying to keep your emotions at bay. She wipes your damp cheeks with gentleness, before leaning down to place a small kiss on your forehead. “Why are you pushing me away? I’m sorry if we fought. I should have never let you leave”, she tries and lets out a shaky breath before continuing. “You never answered my calls. I was so worried because I didn’t know where you were, and what happened to you”, she stops and a single tear crushes on her lips. She bites her bottom lip and shakes her head, blinking at the same time to ward off those annoying tears she wasn’t used to cry. “I still don’t”
You frown at that. “You… don’t?”, you hesitantly ask.
Looking into your eyes, Wilhemina realizes how much pain you’re hiding. You remind her of herself and she can’t help but feel scared. “What did they do to you?”, she whispers and sits right next to you, taking a small portion of the mattress. “Please, talk to me. Why are you in this bed?”, she hesitantly wraps her arm around your waist, and despite the temptation to pull away, you don’t. “The nurse mentioned you had an accident but what kind of accident?”
You can’t look at her. You lower your gaze to your hands while they absently play with the white bed sheets. “A kid on the moped, that’s what happened-”, you madly wipe your tears and Wilhelmina holds her breath for what it looks like an eternity.
“But you’re okay, right?”, she forces a smile and tries to use a hopeful tone of voice. She gently strokes your cheek as she examines you. There are some little bruises here and there on your forehead and arms, but other than that you seem to be fine. Were you? “We can go home and forget about everything. We can bake those silly muffins with banana cream you like so much”, she tries, and you bury your face in your hands and start sobbing uncontrollably.
Wilhemina doesn’t know what to do at first. She feels like someone has just stabbed her back. She hates seeing you in so much pain and distress. She can hardly imagine the fright you had to go through. And she was feeling terrible with herself for not having been with you, for not protecting you, for allowing her stupid pride to push you away. “Shush, it’s alright little one”, a tear rolls down her cheek as she rubs your back in soothing circles. “I’m so sorry, baby. I really am. Let me in, little one”, she cups your cheeks and wipe all the tears you have left. But no matter how quickly her fingers were, the old tears are soon replaced by new ones.
“Mina”, you choke on a sob and close your eyes. “Please, you don’t understand”, your voice cracks. You try to pull away but Wilhemina is determined to understand why all of the sudden so seem so keen to get rid of her. She knew you and your body language. You didn’t want that either. It seemed like you were forcing yourself to believe you wanted to get rid of her. But why?
She shakes her head, trying to avoid the pain in her heart that is now stronger than any kind of physical ache. A lump forms in her throat and sweat starts dripping from her forehead. “You’re my girlfriend for Christ’s sake!”, she replies in kind. “What the hell is wrong with you? Get out of this bed now and let’s go home!”, she takes hold of your hand, prompting you to get down that bed.
You pull away as if you had been burned. “I can’t, Wilhemina!”, you shout at her. You move with your torse few inches towards the opposite side of the mattress. “Can’t you get it? Don’t you see it?”
“What?”, Mina repeats as she feels her heart shutters into pieces. “I don’t understand, the nurse said I could get you home…”, her voice is timid again now. There is no machine attached to your arms or anything of the sort. You’re free to go so what is keeping you? “Baby, please, you’re scaring me”
At this point you feel terrible with yourself. A monster. A beast to the only person that really matters to you and that deserves nothing but kindness and love.
“I can’t feel them”, your voice comes out softer, but it doesn’t prevent her from crying. She wipes her tears, before placing her hand over the bed sheets to partially uncover your legs. “You can’t feel what, y/n?”, she questions dumbfounded.
At that point a new wave or rage invades you. You don’t want to control yourself anymore, you feel like exploding. With clenched fists, you start hitting your legs, as boiling tears stream down your face. Wilhemina opens her eyes wide; her face loses colors at your outburst. She quickly approaches you again and tries to grab your wrists, but you don’t let her. You keep hitting yourself, your knees and thighs, hoping to feel again. Hoping to feel the pain.
“Y/n! Stop it!”, she panics and cries. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can’t feel!”, you shout at her. You dig your fingernails inside your thighs, and yet not even a goosebump runs over your skin. An unamused, low chuckle escapes from your mouth. “I don’t feel anything anymore”
Wilhemina turns pale. “No…”, the woman shakes her head as she finally gets a hold on your wrists and you stop hitting yourself. “No, no…”, she continues, choking on a sob. Realization of what you’re saying hits her hard. Numb. Legs. Mop. Accident. It all makes sense, and at the same time it doesn’t. She feels like someone has just ripped off her heart only to squish it and let it bleed. Wilhemina feels like suffocating and you feel like drowning with her. “Yes”, you nod, throwing he sad truth at her with a simple glance. You’re the one that is pushing her underwater. You, the dearest thing she has in the world, are killing her slowly. And you can’t save her, because you no longer can swim.
“Little one”, she cups your cheeks and then moves a strand of hair behind your ear. She presses her soft, plump lips on your forehead and closes her eyes as a new cascade of tears invade her entire face, streaming down her neck and shoulders. “You’ll get better, baby girl. I’ll help you”, she keeps repeating that like a mantra, as she offers you a reassuring smile. “I’ll never leave you, do you hear me? We will do whatever it takes, we will see as many doctors as the entire earth offers, if we have to”, she promises you and you bite your bottom lip to stop it from quivering.
“Mina…”, you say weakly. “I don’t want to be a burden to you”, you seem so small. The woman realizes you didn’t have to eat much these days, and how could you? Wilhemina sees through your fear; she’s determined to get it out of you. You’re terrified and she is too. But this would have never been an excuse to give up on you as you never gave up on her.
“You’re never a burden, y/n”, she says both softly and firmly. She wraps her arms around you, ignoring the pain in the back while she bows down to give you a hug. She buries her face in the crook of your neck, placing there little, soothing kisses to calm your agitate breathing. “You’re going to be okay”, she murmurs and you cling to her, taking a firm grasp around the purple fabric of her suit. “You’re going to be okay”, she repeats, stroking your hair as you like it. She exhales a little, and you listen to her heartbeat that’s surprisingly calming your anxiety. “We both will be”, she promises you and looking into the beautiful eyes of hers, you can’t help but believe her.
“Mutt and Jeff come to the crazy idea to prank Wilhemina Venable and to do so, they ask you, the only person, that in their opinion, Mina not only tolerates, but also likes”
Idk what’s this. Totally idiotic, Wilhemina is probably out of character here, but it was a fun ride anyway. Thank you for bearing me lol
On your way back home, Mutt and Jeff decided to walk you home, but you soon realized that it wasn’t a simple courtesy.
“Guys, come on”, you complain, rubbing the corners of your eyes, as you try to make some sense out of all their chattering. “You gotta be kidding me”
“Never been more serious, Y/n”, Mutt soon replies. “Right Jeff?”, he glances at him, that immediately returns the gaze with a wink.
“Quite right, Mutt!”, he replies, grinning.
You lightly shake your head, continuing to walk among them. “She is going to fire me”, you say in a mocking sing song voice, since you felt like you were talking to two kids in need of some sense into them. When they stare back at you with a blank expression over their faces, you snort loudly. “I need the job, jerks”, your voice comes out a little exasperated at this point, due to their insistence. Wilhemina was your boss, and you weren’t going to blow everything off for a stupid prank.
“And you’ll keep it”, Mutt says. “I sense it!”
You look up at him with a frown. “You sense it, huh?”, clicking your tongue, you fold your arms over your chest, narrowing your eyes towards him. “Who are you, some sort of spiritualist?”, the sarcasm is evident in your tone.
“Yeah, I like the title actually”, he mutters to himself, making you giggle. Yet, you aren’t convinced.
“Y/n, hear me out”, Jeff continues, grabbing you by your shoulders. You tiredly meet his gaze, still rather adamant about the entire thing. “I’ll bet you fifty dollars she will freak out and weep bitter tears”, he says, sweeping his tongue over his lips.
You can’t help but laugh at that. “Are you really that eager to lose?”, you continue, lightly shaking your head. You walk a little faster, putting yourself in front of them, hands on your hips and an arched brow. “You’re nuts, if you think she cares that much about me”, you talk as clearly as you can, eyeing both with a serious look.
“You’re the crazy one if you still haven’t noticed the way she looks at you”, Jeff clarifies, mimicking your tone. “Like she wants to-”, he looks for a delicate way to say it, until Mutt steps in.
“-eat you”, he nudges him and winks at you.
You’re shocked by the conversation you’re enduring and you quickly turn around; eyes open wide. “Oh my God, guys! She is not-”, you say both amused and embarrassed. “Wilhemina doesn’t-”, you can’t even finish the sentence that a lump forms in your throat.
Mutt is quick to wrap his arm around yours, pulling you closer. A smirk plays out on his face. “What are you afraid of? It’s only fair toying with people in this time of the year”, you try to pull away from his grip, but you find yourself trapped between both of them once again, as Jeff soon grabs your other arm.
“People, yes. Not Wilhemina…”, you whine. “Guys, please”
“Don’t be a pussy”, Mutt playfully ruffles your hair and you let out a feral grunt, absolutely hating when they did that to you. He ignores you and his gaze shifts towards the other guy, also smirking. “I feel savage today, so I’ll bet you an additional fifty dollars, that Ms. Venable is going to kiss her”
You let out an amused scoff. “Hello? In case you two forgot, I’m right here!”, you point out, squirming away from their grip and waving your hands in the air as to be noticed. “Do I have a saying in all of this or?”
“I’m in!”, Jeff does a high five with Mutt, before muttering a simple and plain no.
“Clearly…”, you mutter to yourself, rolling your eyes. At least you’re glad to be almost home. “Lord, grant me the strength to deal with these individuals”
*
You can’t believe, you’re actually about to put on a show. You lightly run a hand through your hair, gently messing it a little bit, as you always do when you feel nervous. Both Mutt and Jeff decided to turn you slightly paler with a light layer of makeup and dark circles under your eyes, yet you made sure they didn’t exaggerate. It didn’t turn out too bad actually, and you had to admit it looked pretty realistic.
You sweep your tongue over your lips, often shifting your weight from one foot to the other. You take a long, shaky breath, as you keep stalling about five more minutes, undecided whether to drop that ridiculous idea or not. But you were already halfway on this. Your hand is pressed against your “injured” hip, that’s slowly turning red. You had to admit, Jeff and Matt did a great job in mixing cocoa powder, water and some drops of reddish coloring to create fake blood.
Your eyes flutter close for a moment and count to three, before lifting your right hand in mid-air, in order to knock at the door. You do it gently; a small part of you hopes Wilhemina isn’t at home, despite having noticed the lights on in the window.
I’ll be so dead after this, you mutter to yourself.
Few seconds after, the door opens. “Y/n?”, she says your name softly, a hint of surprise in her tone. “What are you doing here at this time?”, the redhead gently smirks up at you. You’re glad there’s not any hint of discomfort in her voice, despite having showed up both uninvited and without an intelligent reason at her house.
You wrinkle your nose, and feel your cheeks turning into a slight nuance of pink. She looks both beautiful and relaxed. You’ve never seen her with her hair down, a pair of wide leg joggers and a slightly unbuttoned blouse. Squeezing your eyes shut for a moment, you try to avoid the tickle in your stomach as you feel Wilhemina’s stare on you. “I’m sorry to intrude, I just…”, you mutter weakly, remembering the reason why you’re there.
Pretend to be hurt.
Wilhemina opens the door a little more, leaning against the jamb, so that she can loosen the grip around her cane. “Can you speak a little louder, dear?”, she tilts her head slightly to the side when you avert your gaze from hers, in order not to be betrayed by the amused twinkle in your eyes.
“I don’t… I can’t…”, you fake pant, hissing as you put some pressure on your hip.
Wilhemina frowns a little bit. You’re sure she is watching you with confusion, yet you don’t dare to look up at her just yet. “You’re more of a stutterer than the first day you introduced yourself to me”, she says amused, letting out a short chuckle. She is way too focused on your face that’s’ looking down at your feet to realize the bloodstain that is rapidly scattering under your shirt. Few droplets fall on her doormat. You know it’s just a matter of seconds before she notices what was going on.
You look up at her, narrowing your eyes and biting your bottom lip, before muttering in a faint whisper, “Hurts”, your face is contorted in a pained expression.
Concern flashes across Wilhemina’s eyes, when she shifts her gaze towards your stomach. To her horror, she finds your shirt crimson red. “Y/n?”, you can’t detect any hint of sarcasm in her voice anymore. Her will to play with you faded away in a heartbeat. She lets go of her cane, dropping it on the floor, before taking a rapid step closer to you. “For Christ sake, what happened to you?”, she hesitates at the door about whether to touch you or not; something that you find adorable.
“Help me…”, you respond in a light tone, staggering on your feet. Wilhemina parts her lips open to say something, but nothing comes out in time. She gasps and without seconds thoughts, she wraps her arms around your upper body, being extra careful, given the fact that she wasn’t aware of the gravity of your injury. A small smile crosses your lips, but you bite down your tongue, trying to keep the game for as long as possible.
She places one hand to sustain your head as she gently puts you down on the floor, after shutting the door. You shift your eyes close for a moment, and Wilhemina only fears the worse when you do so. “No, no, no, no, hey, stay awake”, soon, the redhead is on her knees; she reaches a hand toward you, stroking your pale skin.
“Wilhemina…”, you call to her and she quickly runs her hand down your forehead. “My hip…”, you blink, making her believe it was hard keeping your eyes open.
“I know. I know. I’ve got you”, she whispers, her throat suddenly goes dry. She feels tears forming to her eyes, but she doesn’t allow them to roll down her cheeks. “Don’t fall asleep on me”, she continues more harshly than intended.
Is she actually worried about me?
You look down at your wound, nodding weakly. Hissing, you try to sit up, but Wilhemina has other ideas and stops you before you can even make an attempt.
“Easy, easy, sweetheart”, she soothes you, yet her voice has never sounded more concerned. “It’s going to be alright, I promise. Just stay awake for me”, she looks up at you; hope in her tone.
You smile weakly back at her, nodding again.
She is so loving. And so cute. Also, wait a moment. Did she call me sweetheart?
A soft blush is now rising upon your cheeks.
“Good girl”, she gets even closer to you; her shaky hand moves on your side, that with slight hesitation she presses against your skin. You feel a shiver run through your spine. “You’ll feel better soon”, she takes few unsteady breaths as to pull herself together and, in that moment, you wonder how concerned she actually is about you. She has never felt so hopeless before and that scares the shit out of her.
For how long should I keep the game? I already feel so bad.
You soon realize in which position she is bent and your eyes wide in horror. How could you forget such an important detail about her? The last thing you want is causing her physical pain due to a silly game. “Wilhemina, y-your back. You shouldn’t bend over like that”
She ignores you, tucking your hair behind your ear as she keeps putting pressure on your non-existent injury. “We have much bigger issues to worry about. My back doesn’t even hurt”, she promises and it’s partly true. All she can think of right now is you. Your pain. She knows how to deal with hers, but little did she knows about how to cope with others. Especially if it’s about people she secretly cares about.
You can’t help but think how pretty she is, frowning and pursuing her lips like that. “We need to clean this injury, and- Lord, should I call the police? Who did this to you?”, she starts rambling as panic comes over her. You haven’t thought of that, actually, so you say nothing, and just let Wilhemina vent and talk nonstop. A small smile forms to your lips, when she averts her gaze from yours. “No, probably the ambulance first. I swear I’ll kill with my own hands whoever did this to you”, at this point she isn’t looking at you anymore.
“Listen, I need to get help. Hold on for me, alright?”, she places your hand against your wound, telling you to push with all the strength you have. She grabs ahold of your face, gently stroking your cheeks with so much tenderness. You nod, allowing yourself to offer her a reassuring smile.
She lets out an exasperated groan, once she gets up; her eyes roaming around the house. “Where did I put the goddamn phone?”
You’re glad her back was turned, because at that point you can’t hold back your giggles anymore. You decide to put a stop to the prank, that surprisingly went better than expected. She actually cares about you. And it doesn’t matter if you lost the bet, because somehow the reaction you got is much better than any amount of money you could have won instead.
“Wilhemina, calm down, I’m fine”, you slowly get up, however, she doesn’t see you do so, way too focused on looking for her phone, and scattering everything to the ground as she searches for it.
“One second, sweetheart”
There it is, that pet name again.
“I’m fine!”, you repeat, giggling a little loudly this time.
“You’re not fine!”, she stammers, picking through the drawers all over the house. “I won’t let you die on my floor, damnit”
You bite your bottom lip and fold your arms over your chest, unable to control your giggles. “Mina, please, just look at me”, your voice comes out cheerful, different from the one you used earlier.
She turns around and her eyes widen in surprise. “W-what? How are you standing like that?”
You lightly shake your head and bite your lip. “It’s fake blood ”, you explain, with a guilty expression on your face. You lift your shirt just a little bit to show her that under all that gobbledygook there is nothing but your smooth and clear skin. “That’s not real, see? It’s chocolate”, you raise a finger to your lips, licking off it.
WIlhemina’s expression is all of the sudden unreadable. “I beg you, pardon?”, she asks calmly, too calmly for your liking.
You swallow hard, giving her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, it was just a joke…”, you swipe your tongue across your teeth. “Are you okay?”
She casts her eyes upon yours, and she lets out what seems to be a breath of both exasperation and relief. “No, I’m not okay, you goddamn idiot!”, she responds, lightly raising her voice at you.
You bow your head; all of the sudden your feel so small.
Wilhemina notices that and she tiredly rubs the root of her nose. “How did you-?”, her gaze softens, as she realizes how guilty you must feel. “Why did you do such a thing?”, she reaches you and firmly grabs your chin in need to look into your eyes.
“I’m so sorry I never meant to do this”, you mumble lightly. “You see, Mutt and Jeff, they…”, once she hears those names, she scoffs unamused.
She lets go of your chin, without moving away from you. “Assholes”, she mutters under gritted teeth. “I should have known it was their handiwork”
“I should have never agreed on doing this-”, you lift your head up to fully look at her just in time to see her quickly wipe her cheek. You frown. “Hey, are you crying?”
Congratulation, Y/N. You deserve the credit for the jerk of the year.
“No. Of course not”, Wilhemina bites her lip, slowly regaining her natural composure. “You stained my carpet, that’s what I’m upset about”, she mutters, lowering her gaze down to the floor.
“What?”, you can’t help yourself but grin at her reply. “You’re joking”
She looks at you, unamused. “Do I look like I’m joking to you?”, she snaps, folding her arms over her chest and hardening her features for a split second. Her eyes, though, tell you a different story. And you let out a sigh of relief.
You wipe another falling tear with your thumb. “Is this the only reason why you’re crying?”, you ask softly.
Or were you actually worried about me?
To your surprise, she doesn’t pull away. With a small huff of annoyance, she replies, “This carpet cost more than your entire wardrobe”, there’s both truth and sarcasm in her statement and you find yourself nodding and flattening your lips in a thin line, not offended at all by her words. She continues, “It won’t be easy to clean it up”
A light chuckle escapes from your mouth making Wilhemina’s heart warm up. It’s probably the first time she listens to such a melodic sound. She had no idea you could light up the room in such an easy way. As your chuckle dies out, you add, “I’ll gladly pay the laundry bill. Seriously though, forgive me”, you repeat, eyes roaming on her features, in search of a hint of a smile or a sign that would make you believe that she didn’t totally hate you for that. “I never thought I’d scare you that much. I honestly agreed with Mutt and Jeff because I was sure you’d have noticed it was a joke. I wasn’t expecting you to…”, you rumble.
She cuts you off, eyes narrowed as she asks, “To do what? Help, let you in, care?”
You open your mouth to speak but nothing comes out. You shake your head, though. “No, I-”
“Look, I’m aware, I’m not the easiest person to deal with”, she reasons softly. “I can’t even imagine what people say about me”, a sad smile graces upon her lips.
“No, it’s not true”, you’re quick to object, frowning. “That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. I really am. And I love working with you, I mean it… I ruined your evening with this stupid prank”, you grumble, feeling a little ashamed. “I should probably leave”, you trail off, about to turn around.
Wilhemina sighs loud and clear. “Hey, what’s your rush now?”, she grabs your wrist, and when your eyes cast upon hers once more, you find her smiling at you. “I’m not mad if that’s what you’re concerned about”, she says apprehensively.
“But-”
“No buts”, she objects with a raised brow. “You should put on something clean. It’s a little bit early for Halloween”, she teases, briefly cupping your apple cheek. “You’re covered in chocolate. It looks like you bathed in it”
Once again, you find yourself both blushing and chuckling. “I must look very sweet then”, the redhead grins at your response.
She gently wipes some of it from your cheek. “Wait up here. I’ll get you one of my shirts and clean towels. If you want you can take a shower”
Your face warms up underneath her soft, delicate hands.
“Oh no, you don’t have to… I already messed up your carpet, and-”
Wilhemina can’t help but laugh genuinely, finally relaxing after that scare. “You’re right, that’s why I highly suggest you not to move form that spot. You don’t want to do any more damage now, do you?”, her voice is firm, yet you notice something changed. She feels at ease; she looks actually happy.
“So, I can’t sit on the couch?”, you decide to play along.
She lightly shakes her head, as she walks away to get you a shirt. “If you want to bleed for real, please, be my guest”, she says, chuckling to herself as she perceives you tense up on the spot.
“You wouldn’t”, eyes knitting in suspicious.
Wilhemina’s cane taps slowly against the floor as she makes her way up to her room. A fond smile plays out on her features, as she whispers to herself, “You’re quite right, sweetheart”
