The One She Let Go
Season 2, Nevermore Academy {Ajax x reader}
Warning: post-cheating angst, jealousy, implied stalking behavior, make-out scenes (mildly suggestive but not explicit), possessive dynamics, confrontation, blunt language, hurt feelings, mild pettiness, emotional tension, reader-insert, Egyptian-inspired Cleo De-Nile from monster high(the reader/Y/N) fully integrated into Nevermore universe, canon character personalities retained (Wednesday Netflix show), minor interpersonal drama, subtle revenge vibes, snakes being affectionate, mentions of infidelity, confrontation about boundaries, power dynamics in relationships.
🎪✨Ringmaster rambling incoming…✨🎪
I penned this little spectacle because I adore Enid and Ajax truly, I did… but this season? Oh, my heart shattered like cheap carnival glass when I found out she cheated on him(girl what). If I ever got my hands on that man!!! You’d have to pry me off with a crowbar and divine intervention. Have you seen him!!! Ajax, my beloved, my muse, my hypothetical downfall. For this act, I dressed the reader in the silk and gold attitude of Cleo De-Nile from Monster High, because that’s the vision I was chasing under the big top. I tried…oh, I tried to keep them gender neutral, but the Ringmaster occasionally tripped into feminine territory. And though I swore off using “Y/N,” it slipped in here and there when it made narrative sense… because naming the reader felt like pulling the mask off the magician. So… enjoy the chaos. The tent is open, the snakes are charming, and Ajax? He’s still mine. Signed in glitter and delusion, your Ringmaster 🎭🖤
Masterlist Part 2 Buy me chaos?
[In the quad, late afternoon]
The marble courtyard glistened with rain from earlier that day. Ajax was slouched on a bench under the covered walkway, hoodie pulled over his snake-hair, earbuds dangling but not playing anything. His eyes were fixed on the damp cobblestones, expression hollow.
You spotted him instantly. His whole vibe screamed I just had my heart stepped on.
You glided over because someone like you didn’t simply walk. The gold accents in your uniform caught the weak sunlight, and the air around you carried the faint scent of sandalwood and lotus. You didn’t usually stop for anyone, but Ajax looked… ruined.
“Who died?” you asked, tone light but not unkind.
He blinked up, clearly trying to play it cool. “Nobody. Just—” He gave a humorless laugh. “Guess I got dumped. And cheated on. At the same time.”
Your brows arched. “Charming. She must have a death wish.”
Ajax let out a breathy laugh despite himself. “Yeah… Enid.”
You lowered yourself onto the bench, close enough that your perfume lingered between you. “You’re taking it well, all things considered. In my family, betrayal is… not taken lightly.”
He smirked faintly. “What, like… cursed scarabs in her bed?”
You tilted your head. “That’s… an option.”
That got him to really laugh just a little but it was enough.
[Over the next few days…]
It became a pattern. You’d find him between classes, sometimes with a coffee in hand, sometimes with sarcastic commentary on whatever gorgon gossip was floating around. You learned he still used his phone’s camera to check his snakes, and he learned you could summon tiny golden scorpions to braid your own hair.
Somewhere between laughing at his self-deprecating jokes and him teasing you about your “walking museum exhibit” aesthetic, there was a shift. His smiles became longer. Yours became genuine.
[Three days later somewhere in Nevermore library, quiet corner]
You were perched on the armrest of his chair, reading over his shoulder, your jeweled headband catching the lamplight.
“Your hair smells like—” Ajax started, then paused, realizing he might be oversharing.
“Like what?” you asked, eyes narrowing with mock suspicion.
“Like… expensive.” His gaze lingered a beat too long.
You let a slow, knowing smile spread across your face. “Good answer.”
The air between you thickened. His hand moved to your waist without either of you deciding it should, and then your mouth was on his warm, eager, and tinged with the adrenaline of finally. His snakes shifted restlessly, curling in what you suspected was their version of approval.
You shifted closer, fingers curling into the front of his hoodie. His other hand slid to the small of your back, pulling you flush against him. The kiss deepened, your breath mingling, his thumb brushing your jaw…..
“Oh! Uh….sorry!”
You broke apart just in time to see Enid standing at the end of the aisle, eyes wide, cheeks red.
Ajax froze. You didn’t.
Enid stammered, “I—uh—forgot my… uh…notes!!! Yeah. My notes. Gotta go!” She spun and all but sprinted away.
Ajax opened his mouth to say something, but you simply placed your hand on the back of his neck, pulling him forward again.
“Where were we?” you murmured against his lips, before kissing him again slower this time, like you had all the time in the world.
[Enid’s POV]
Her sneakers squeaked against the polished floor as she speed-walked out of the library. Her heart was racing, which was ridiculous. She had no right…no reason…. to care.
By the time she made it to her dorm, she’d convinced herself it wasn’t jealousy. Just… surprise. Right?
Unfortunately for her, Wednesday Addams was sitting cross-legged on her bed, reading a case file.
“You’re breathing like you just ran from a crime scene,” Wednesday said without looking up.
“I just…..uh….saw Ajax. And YN. Kissing.”
Wednesday’s gaze lifted, expression unreadable. “You told me you were over him.”
“I am over him,” Enid said too quickly. “Totally. Like, ice cold. Zero feelings. Just….wow, that was… fast.”
Wednesday tilted her head. “And yet you’re reporting it to me as though it were a matter of national interest. Which, unless YN was also plotting his untimely demise between kisses, it is not.”
Enid crossed her arms. “I’m just saying, it’s… weird, seeing them like that.”
“Strange how you never comment on things you’re truly indifferent about,” Wednesday replied, returning to her file.
Enid flopped onto her bed with a groan. “Ugh. You’re the worst.”
“And you,” Wednesday said without glancing up, “are not nearly as over him as you claim.”
[Back in the Library Corner]
The moment your lips were on his again, Ajax’s brain did that short-circuit thing it always did around you now.
For days, you’d been this sharp, radiant constant cutting through the fog of betrayal Enid had left him in. Now, with your fingers curled in his hoodie and your perfume curling through his senses, it hit him just how badly he’d wanted this.
His snakes shifted restlessly, one brushing your temple like it was curious, another brushed against your forehead like a small peck and another dipping toward your shoulder. He didn’t even try to stop them.
“Not gonna lie,” he murmured between kisses, voice low and a little rough, “you’re kind of distracting.”
“That was the idea,” you replied, a satisfied little smirk in your tone before you kissed him again slower, but deeper, like you wanted to see if you could make him forget his own name. Spoiler: you could.
Every time you pulled back a fraction, his hands followed one gripping your waist, the other splayed across your lower back like he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go.
He’d never been kissed like this before. With Enid, it had been sweet, warm, easy… but this? This was molten. It was the kind of kiss that made you not care who might walk in next.
The faint sound of footsteps somewhere in the stacks snapped him halfway back to reality. “We should probably—”
You leaned in, pressing your lips to his again before he could finish, your voice a silky whisper against his mouth. “We probably won’t.”
And just like that, he stopped thinking entirely.
Eventually, you pulled back not because you wanted to, but because breathing was still a thing mortals had to do. Ajax leaned his head back against the chair, eyes half-lidded, trying to piece his brain back together.
His snakes were still twitching like they were in on some joke he wasn’t fully processing yet. One even brushed the side of your jaw before curling back, almost reluctantly.
You sat perched on the armrest, one hand still idly toying with the zipper of his hoodie, looking like you belonged there.
“Wow,” he said finally, a little dazed.
You raised an elegant brow. “Articulate.”
He grinned, but it faded into something softer… more real. “I didn’t think I was gonna… y’know… feel like this about anyone again. Not for a while, anyway.”
“Feel like what?” you asked, tilting your head, your tone teasing but your eyes searching.
“Like I want to spend every free minute with them. Like… I’m not just getting over something… I’m actually into someone.” His gaze dropped for a second, then came back up. “Into you.”
You let the corners of your mouth curve upward in that slow, knowing way that always made him feel like you were five steps ahead of him. “Good. Would’ve been awkward if you weren’t.”
He laughed really laughed and for the first time in days, it wasn’t tinged with bitterness.
Somewhere in the distance, the library clock chimed, pulling you both back to reality just a little. You slid off the armrest, smoothing your skirt, but his hand caught yours before you could step away.
“Hey,” he said, thumb brushing your knuckles, his voice quieter now. “I’m glad you found me that day. Just… wanted you to know that.”
You squeezed his hand lightly, your gold rings catching the lamplight. “You’re welcome, gorgon.”
To be continued…
🎪 Ringmaster’s Warning: No Copycats in This Tent 🎪
