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Once Wednesday had gotten to the bottom of the stairs in the Lago Tower, someone grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away from her family and into a dark corner.
She knew it was Tyler before she even looked up to meet his gaze.
They stared at each other for a long moment as he let go of her arm. She was waiting for him to speak, because she had nothing to say.
After another beat, he did and he almost felt like he was partly saying the words just to help himself believe it. “You saved me.”
She looked off to the side slightly, giving the briefest of nods. Yes, she had. And she still didn't know if that was a mistake or not.
“Why?” He asked her again like he had earlier, but this time he was actually prying for an answer, and could since they weren't in the middle of something. She knew he wasn't satisfied with what her original answer had been, and she didn't necessarily blame him. He wanted an actual reason.
She looked back at him. She didn't have an answer. She didn't know. A part of her was still thinking she should have just cut his throat, and maybe it wasn't too late to do so.
After a moment of her not answering he just accepted that she wouldn't give him one, speaking again, in an almost defeated tone. “I don't know if it was worth it.”
He was masterless again. He'd be dead soon, slowly withering away and deteriorating. There hadn't really been much point to save him. Or at least, that's how he saw it.
But her kindness did give him one thing. Closure. In knowing that she did still care for him, at least a little bit. At least enough to save him. And he'd be content dying now in knowing that.
“Only time will tell,” she answered back simply, in a neutral way. Either Tyler would die, or somehow he would get some help. She had no way of knowing which it would be, and she assumed she wouldn't find out until she returned to Nevermore after the summer.
And while she tried to tell herself she didn't care what would happen to him, she did. She hoped that he would get the help he needed, he didn't deserve to die. Not with everything he had been through. Not with how young he was.
When he took a step closer she was suddenly aware of her breathing, feeling her heart rate increase traitorously. And she knew with his keen senses, that he'd probably notice.
He did notice, but he knew better than to tease her about it or push her. Having just saved him was a lot coming from her, especially as of recently, so he wasn't going to test the limits. Wasn't going to risk making her hate him before she'd likely never see him again. He wanted to leave on a good note, not a bad one.
“Thank you,” he whispered gently, meaning it completely. Wednesday felt pulled in, caught in his gaze. His breath tickled her nose and she felt the inexplicable urge to do something. Say something. More than just some neutral response.
“Make it worth it,” is what she settled on saying after a brief few seconds of contemplation. She wasn't going to say you're welcome, because she never did. And she certainly wasn't back to the point of being vulnerable with him. He needed to earn that again.
It was a response to his earlier words, and another small hint that showed she did care. That she wanted him to make it worth it, wanted him to live.
At her words Tyler had to resist the immediate urge he had gotten to kiss her. No matter how much he wanted to, he knew it wasn't a good idea. And while some part of him liked to think maybe she would kiss back, he also didn't want to risk her changing her mind about having saved him and end up killing him instead after all.
So, while he didn't do that, he did decide to push the boundaries slightly. He brought a hesitant, careful hand up towards her, bringing it up to her face and using his fingers to brush back a few strands of hair that had fallen into her eyes, tucking them behind her ear.
Surprisingly she didn't react negatively. Didn't even move or react at all, really. She seemed almost frozen and Tyler wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Her breath hitched for a moment, not very long, long enough for him to catch it, and she purposely made sure to keep eye contact, to try and make it seem like she wasn't nervous, even though he knew she was.
After he pulled his hand away he gave her a slightly anxious smile, not sure what he'd get in return.
“I expect to see you when I return to Nevermore again,” she told him, this time making it even more obvious than she did, in fact, want him to live. But she made sure to say it almost in a threatening way. A way that said if he wasn't here when she got back, she'd go and hunt him down herself. She was sure that would be child's play, especially after doing so with Enid.
His smile grew at her words as he gave her a small nod. “I'll try my best to not disappoint, then.”
She swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat before she nodded back at him. She then turned, knowing if she didn't leave now then maybe she would let him do something stupid like kiss her, and she'd reciprocate.
As she walked away she could feel Tyler's eyes on her and a part of her wondered maybe he'd try to follow but when he spoke again she knew he wasn't going to, he had his own things to take care of now, just like she did. “Until next time, Wednesday.”
The way he said her name sent a chill up her spine but she did her best to avoid it. She really did hope he'd be here when she'd return. It would be the most interesting thing she would come back to, and perhaps maybe the only reason. The true reason.