Pairing: Kevin Wendell Crumb x reader
Warnings: angst, stockholm syndrome
There was a split second of fear that rushed through you when Dennis returned to your room with Claire. He was carrying the tools needed to repair the hole in the ceiling, and you dared not ask what had happened to her. Of course, you almost immediately assumed the worst, but you knew she’d brought it on herself. She was the one who wanted to escape.
When Dennis finally spoke, his voice seemed to carry a note of anger at what the girl had done. How could you blame him? She was only making things more difficult in the end. Busting a hole in the ceiling, forcing him to chase her down, and then him having to find a new place to put her while also repairing what she’d broke; he deserved to be angry.
“You will not see your friend again, she will be kept separate.” He told you and Marcia, being upfront. When he finally looked the two of you over, his hand instinctively went to the back of his head where he seemed to be rubbing out a quickly forming headache. You wondered what could’ve caused it until you noticed the flakes of drywall scattered across your clothes from your attempted escape. “You, take off your skirt.” Dennis demanded, pointing a finger at Marcia’s dirty clothes.
Your breath hitched in your throat, wondering what piece of clothing you would be forced to remove. “You, take off your shirt,” he ordered, making you sigh in relief. The last thing you wanted was to be walking around in your underwear. Sure the man intrigued you, but it was a bit too soon for him to see that much of you just yet, and at least you’d been wearing a tank top underneath. Of course, you knew you’d be lying if you said a part of you hadn’t wanted to comfort him. To take him into your arms, and soothe away all the stress he was going through.
In the flip of a switch he’d managed to pull himself together once again, though, taking on his dark demeanor. This made you wonder why he always seemed to put up such a thick wall between him and anyone else who may try to get close. You assumed he must’ve been hurt in the past, but that only made you want to be there for him even more. Without saying another word, Dennis turned and left the room, clothes in hand. Should you have said something? Would it have made a difference?
It had been hours before you’d been visited again, this time by Patricia. To your surprise, she slipped a bright blue flower into your hair, complimenting your delicate features, but rejected to do the same for Marcia. Part of her was jealous, the other relieved it hadn’t been her. To you, it was a sign. A sign of worth, a sign of beauty, a sign that you meant something to someone, and you wondered if you’d ever take it out.
Finally, she took your hand in hers’, sending an immediate rush of euphoria to your brain, and you attempted to mask the way your face began to burn bright red. Patricia was leading you both into another room where you’d never been before. It was a quaint little kitchen, big enough for one person to cook while another sat at the table behind it. She’d made a set of sandwiches, requesting that you eat up before continuing to make more. The longer you were here, the more this place was starting to feel like home.
After several bites of your food, you noticed the way Marcia was starting to look at you. She was attempting to mumble some sort of plan behind Patricia’s back, and you tried to stop her from going along with it, but it was too late. Marcia was on her feet, raising the chair over her head in an attempt to swing it at your captor.
Without thinking, you opened your mouth, saying something that surprised everyone in the room; including yourself. “Patricia, look out!” You screamed, moving to defend her when you caught hold of Marcia’s arm. The chair flew into the corner of the room, colliding with the wall as it broke into several pieces upon impact.
Marcia looked at you horrified before throwing you to the ground and taking off out the door. Patricia had not been far behind, though, and you watched her turn around, nothing but admiration in her eyes at your sudden reaction. “Please, dear, go back to your room. I’ll take care of this,” she assured you before rushing out the door.
You did as she said, having no trouble finding your way back through the maze of rooms. Anyone else would’ve felt defeated to be stuck back here once again, but all you managed to feel was relief.
If any of them were to ask you to leave, you couldn’t help but believe that you would beg them to let you stay. ‘Surely you must be losing your mind,’ you thought to yourself, lying back against the cot as you stared up at the ceiling. But oh what a beautiful mind this man must have. You’d spend the rest of your life here if it meant catching a glimpse at what was inside.
The thought of moving in came across your mind. You silently laughed at all the redecorating you would have to do in order to give this place a more feminine touch. How would they each react? Patricia would be pleased to have the company; someone to cook for, and to talk to. Dennis would no doubt make a few complaints; you couldn’t leave dirty dishes in the sink, you could never wear your shoes in the house, and please don’t leave your clothes lying around your room. Hedwig...Hedwig would beg you to move into his room with him. He’d always be showing you the cool new things he’d find, and he would always know how to make you smile.
Coming up with this imaginary world must’ve calmed you because, without even realizing it, you’d fallen asleep. It couldn’t have lasted long, though, because, before you knew it, you felt a heavy weight brush against the side of your leg. The springs on the cot creaking with your combined weight as you looked up to see Dennis sitting at the edge of your bed.
“Is everything alright?” You instinctively asked him while you watched him stare blankly at the floor. His head shook furiously, refusing to look at you.
“The dark-haired girl, she’s gonna be kept in another closet.” Dennis confessed, keeping his gaze locked to the ground. “You might as well know at this point.” He admitted, letting the words spill from off his tongue. “The Beast, he’s coming for you. All three of you, you’re gonna be kept separate.” It felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders until his eyes met yours. Slowly, they drifted to your hair before he spoke again. “Where - uh...where did you get that?” Dennis questioned, and it took you a second to remember the flower that was tucked behind your ear.
“Oh, Miss Patricia gave it to me,” you blushed, looking up at him with your soft, doe, eyes. “Do you like it?”
“Forget me not’s are my favorite flower,” he breathed, letting his thumb brush against the smooth petal. It took him a minute to realize what he’d done before pulling away and bolting upright from his spot next to you.
For a second he wondered if he had overstepped his boundaries, even went so far as to question why you were so comfortable with his close proximity to you. You always seemed to convey a sense of maturity that the other girls had lacked. Which is why you were the one who intrigued him the most.
“Why did you protect her?” Dennis managed to ask, still trying to figure out the feelings that always developed when you were near.
The way he said it made you feel as though it had been weighing on his mind. Which is why you hesitated before responding, trying to come up with the right words to say. “I couldn’t bare to see her get hurt,” you realized, coming to terms with it after saying it out loud.
This was your chance for you to open up to him, and you were going to take it. “You all have been nothing but nice to me. You’ve made me feel as if this were my home, and I couldn’t see her in pain. Because, I think...if you got hurt, it would hurt me too.”
The emotions inside your head were flowing, bursting, crashing into each other as you tried to understand what this feeling must be. It were as if you’d been touch starved your entire life; a bear confined to their cage. People would stop and stare, but no one was ever brave enough to take on your dark exterior. If they had, they would’ve found a beautiful creature that was both broken and lost. Still you wondered why this man had come to care enough to see past the glass, and reach inside for a closer look.
Had you been paying attention, you’d have noticed the way Dennis seemed to be looking you over, doing his best to assess his thoughts. In the process, he tried to remain in control of his mind while finally deciding on his next statement. “I’m glad you feel welcome here, even after all we’ve done.” Dennis said, nervously rubbing his head before heading back to the door. Before leaving, he turned one last time, eyeing you up and down once again. There was a brief second where you thought you saw a smile form on his lips, before he hid it once again in its shadowy depths. Could you be right? Was Dennis starting to feel the same way about you?
A handful of minutes had passed by, and you noticed the knob on the door began to jiggle before someone else came in to greet you. This time, it was Hedwig, and your face lit up.
“Hey, it wasn’t nice what you said about Miss Patricia.” He reminded you, making the smile fade. “You lied.” There was hurt in his eyes to know that his trust in you had been broken, and you gave up trying to hide your feelings.
“I’m so sorry, Hedwig, I just wanted to help Marcia and Claire. They were the ones who wanted to leave, not me.” You admitted, moving closer to him as you tried to calm him down.
“You guys lied to me, made me scared, etcetera.” Hedwig panicked, falling apart like a small child, and you wrapped your arms around his waist. It didn’t take long for him to gain his composer, forgetting all of it, as he melted into your touch. “Mr. Dennis, he talks about you a lot. He says he really likes you. That you make him feel comfortable.”
Your stomach fluttered, butterflies taking off at his words, and you blushed uncontrollably, coming to a loss for words. “You think he likes me?” Your heart was pounding in your chest, growing lightheaded at the possibility.
“Yeah.” Hedwig said, flatly, head stuck in the clouds just as much as yours. “Can I kiss you?” He asked, randomly, making you wonder where all of this was coming from. “I’ve been wanting to for a while. I don’t know much about kissing, though.” He finished, less than confident.
Something shifted, making you wonder if you should. It almost felt like taking advantage of a child, but, technically, he was a full grown man. “Sure,” you agreed, looking up into his eyes. They were a beautiful bright blue, so soft and innocent. If you hadn’t known any better, you’d have assumed Hedwig cared for you in the same way Dennis was starting to. The thought made you wince, wondering how all of this could ever work if they decided to fight over you. Although you made that a problem for another day, tending all of your focus to Hedwig.
He leaned in, muttering a countdown as he moved closer and closer. “One...two...three,” Hedwig whispered, opening his mouth completely to take yours in. This wasn’t even a kiss, only part of his lips were actually touching yours; the rest against your cheek as he closed his eyes and pushed further into it. When he finally broke the “kiss” he looked you dead in the eyes, not an ounce of expression on his face. “You might be pregnant now.”
That was it, you had to stop yourself from snorting with laughter, instead choosing to smile, awkwardly. “I think we’ll be okay,” you promised him, rolling your eyes, playfully.
“Am I a good kisser?” Hedwig questioned, curiously. He didn’t like it when you lied, but this was one of those times where you couldn’t afford to break his heart. He was so sweet that it would pain you to tell him the truth and shatter his all of his pride. Plus, you technically wouldn’t be lying because he hadn’t really kissed you, right?
“Of course you are Hedwig,” you ensured him, watching a childish grin come across his face. He stood up a little taller, trying to act cool.
“You know, I like dancing.” He said, changing the subject again. “Do you like dancing? I like dancing to my CD player in my room. Kanye West is my main man.” He gloated, throwing his arms around in his best impersonation of a rapper.
This newfound swagger made you chuckle, and you took his hand in yours, feeling a confidence of your own. “Maybe we can go listen to music in your room?” You offered, joining in his excitement. “We can dance together! I mean, I’m not very good, but you could teach me!”
There was no hiding his huge grin, until he gave it a second thought. “Wait,” he stopped, looking at you closer. “Are you trying to trick me? Etcetera.” He worried, hoping this wasn’t a clever scheme for you try and escape.
“Can I be honest with you, Hedwig? I never really wanted to leave.” There was a slight pause, both of you taking in what you’d just said. You were pretty sure you’d lost your mind at this point, but you wanted him to know that you weren’t the one who wanted to go. It was Marcia and Claire that wanted to leave, not you.
This was it, you were finally going to gain his trust. Sure, maybe your days here were numbered. Maybe he might still feed you to this ‘so called’ Beast, but you didn’t seem to care. As long as you never had to go back to your old life. As long as you got to stay here with him.
