note: this is a little more fluffy than i had anticipated, but i hope you enjoy nonetheless !
warnings: [ emetophobia, swearing, mentions of smut, mentions of s.a ]
When you woke up the next day, your head was spinning. You had to blink the black spots out of your eyes, and practically fought to sit up. You hadnât felt this hungover in ages. You allotted yourself a little extra time to get out of bed, as you lay in limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness. Memories were all swirling together, from dancing to clichĂŠ 90s music, to the mortal girl you made out with in the bar, and finally ending up at the mortuary door. However, there was a deep seeded feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach- something you couldnât quite place your finger on. Just then, your stomach lurched, and you had just enough time to lean over the bed and throw up into the bucket at your side. How did that bucket get there, you wondered? You brushed it off, figuring youâd have plenty of time to think when you fully regained consciousness , and made your way to the bathroom. Upon looking at yourself in mirrorâ seeing your smeared eyeshadow, smudged red lips and swollen, puffy eyesâ you pieced together that you had had a rough night.
âMy fucking headâŚâ you groaned as you reached into the cabinet to take a few aspirin. âWhat happened?â
More of your senses were awakening, slowly, and you caught a whiff of yourself.
âUgh, sweet Satan,â you muttered, swallowing back a bit of your own vomit as you turned the shower on.
You undressed, stepped in the shower, and allowed the steam and hot water to open up the rest of your blocked senses. The shower acted as a catalyst towards sobriety, and once you stepped out, you had enough sense to walk in a straight line and to get dressed.
You made yourself look presentable, at the very least, and decided it might be best to wander into the kitchen. You hadnât thrown up in a while and thought maybe some food would help clear your head of its fog.
âGood afternoon, love,â Hilda called as she saw your head peek into the entryway. âWe missed you at breakfast, but youâre just in time for pie.â
âPie? I missed breakfast?â
âIâm afraid so, dear. Itâs 2 oâclock in the afternoon..â
âTwo oâclock? Why didnât someone wake me? I mustnât have set my alarm, Iââ
âSlow down, Y/N.â It was Ambrose who spoke now, lifting his head out of the book he was reading. He was perched in a chair at the dinner table, feet perched up on it. âItâs Sunday. Plus, we heard you had quite the night last night. Auntie Zee told us to go easy on you,â he added, cheekily, before burying his nose back in his book.
âAmbrose,â Hilda chided lightly.
Your body stiffened when he mentioned Zelda, and some memories soon came flooding back, the familiar feeling of dread creeping upon you.
âAnd, ahâŚwhere is Zelda, at the moment?â
âSheâs at the academy, loveâ Hilda informed, pulling a lovely looking pie out of the oven.
âFather Blackwood called her to a meeting. She said sheâll be back âround suppertime.â
âOhâŚWell, I needed to talk to her about something.â
âWhatever it is can wait until after youâve tried some of my pie, Iâm sure. It looks positively delightful, doesnât it?â she asked, giddily.
Her excitement caused you to smile slightly, and you couldnât help but to indulge her. You grabbed a slice and sat down at the table with Ambrose. The taste of the pie was exquisite, and you were almost sure Hilda had enchanted it. Your worry had ceased to exist, by the time you had finished.
The rest of the day was spent doing menial chores for the family. You helped Hilda clean the kitchen, tidied up the mortuary, and even helped tend to the garden, for a short while. After having dinner, Hilda asked if you could help her tidy that up, as well. You agreed, always eager to please the family that took you in. As you were drying dishes, you heard the front door open. Your dread instantly came back, and your blood ran cold when you heard the sound of Zeldaâs heels clicking against the wooden floor.
âHilda, I do hope there are some leftovers. Iâm absolutely famished,â Zelda began, taking a puff of her cigarette. âOh, hello, Y/N.â
She regarded you with pleasantry, and it drove you mad. Throughout the day, you had managed to put together the missing pieces from your memory. You knew what you had told Zelda, and it almost felt as though she was mocking you.
âI can finish cleaning, Hilda,â you said, placing the drying towel down on the counter.
âWell, if youâre sure. Dr. Cee has been wanting to see me all week, so this will be absolutely lovely. Thank you so much.â She grinned at you and was already practically out the door, bouncing with excitement.
Once Hilda left, you placed a plate of warmed leftovers in front of Zelda and took a seat across from her.
âThank you,â Zelda said, plainly.
Silence consumed the room as Zelda ate, and you were growing increasingly tense. However, you were not one to run away from a conflictâ no matter how embarrassing it wasâ without talking about it, at the very least.
After a few more rounds of vexatious silence, you blurted, âUm, about last night. Iâve had all day to think about it, and I just wanted to apologize...â
She looked up at you, a straight expression on her face that was rather hard for you to read.
âI accept your apology,â she stated simply, and took another bite.
âWell, no, thatâs not it. We have to take into consideration new means of exchange for your staying here. But I do appreciate the apology.â
Was she not getting it? You wondered, did she not understand that this wasnât about your workload, or was she purposely trying to ignore it? You kept to yourself for a while longer, and this time, Zelda broke the silence.
âHow was the rest of your night? You were in quite a lamentable state when I left you.â
âWhat? Oh, ah, I threw up for probably another hour after you left, though I can hardly remember. But, ugh, I couldnât care less about that, Zee. Right now, Iâm trying to talk about the other lamentable thing. What I said, about fucking you.â
Her eyes widened at your crudeness, and even you were taken back by your sudden urgency.
âOhâŚâ it clearly made her uncomfortable, as she averted her eyes when the subject was brought up. Zelda then took a deep breath and pushed her plate out of her way.
âThe manner in which it was brought up was terribly embarrassing, and I despise feeling that way. But, there was some truth to it, I must admit.â
You blinked the surprise out of your eyes, staring at her in disbelief.
âMm, yes...Perhaps I was so embarrassed because I found the idea rather pleasant, even though it felt wrong. Also, I thought you were mocking me, at first. I do find my eyes lingering on you, from time to time. And I was, perhaps, too indisposed to admit it.â
You were staring at her intently now, your teeth nervously gnawing on your bottom lip.
âAre you saying what I think youâre saying?â
âThat you want to fuck me too?â
Zelda let out a deep chuckle at your attempted humor.
âPerhaps put less crudely.. Iâm sorry, Y/N. Iâm rather repentant that this matter was not discussed sooner. Itâs foolish of me to deny it any longer. I do have feelings for you, too.â
You were shocked, your mouth left slightly agape. Zelda took your hands from across the table, giving them a gentle squeeze.
She continued, âI just thought it would be rather inappropriate to have relations with an employee-carnal or otherwise- but if you feel as though it could work, I could be so inclined as to take your opinion into consideration. And, besides, you are much more than an employee now.â
A smirk played on her lips, and you took this as an invitation to stand and walk over to her.
âMay I?â You asked, looking down at her lap.
She hesitated, just momentarily before nodding and biting her lip. You straddled the older witch, cupping her face gently in your hands before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
âWell, my opinion is yes. If that wasnât obvious already.â You giggled, and Zelda smiled tenderly. This is the most relaxed you had felt in weeks. As you leaned into her embrace, you smelt the intoxicating mix of cigarettes and rosemary upon her clothing. Zeldaâs touch was warm and gentle, and you could have easily imagined yourself lying in her arms for the rest of the night.
âI never thought that it would end like this,â you murmured, against her lips after kissing her again.
She hummed in response, tucking a strand of hair behind your ears as she cupped your cheek in return.
âNor did I, but Iâm glad it is. Your lips are as soft as I had imagined.â
You blushed, letting out a soft giggle into her lips.
âYouâve imagined what my lips felt like before?â
âMore often than I should like to admit.â
You moaned as she rested her hands on your thighs.
âEager little witch,â she teased gently, which caused you to whine in response.
âYou have no idea how long Iâve kept this to myself, Zee..â
âWell, you no longer have to.â
She pulled you in for another kiss, letting her tongue run over your bottom lip.
âAmbrose and Sabrina are still home,â you reminded.
âRight. And Satan knows how long Hilda will be gone,â Zelda added. âShall we continue upstairs?â
You nodded altogether too eagerly, which caused Zelda to chuckle. You moved off of her lap and she stood, offering you her hand. You took it and together, walked up the stairs, to your bedroom to continue where you had left off. This could be the start of something that you had been wanting for as long as you had known her. Perhaps you could finally call her your Zelda.
tags: [ @hallospaceboyy ]