Vic sat on the toilet, trembling. The cold porcelain seeped through his thin trousers, chilling his skin, but it was nothing compared to the bone-deep terror freezing his heart.
Ever since he returned with that chocolate cone the other day, Enid and Wednesday had been treating him nicely.
Not just "not mean" nice. It was aggressively nice.
"Vic, honey~" Enid's voice drifted through the bathroom door, sweeter than a double-fudge milkshake.
"I cut up some fruit for you! Every piece has its own little toothpick! And I made your favorite chocolate milkshake!"
That wasn't even the scary part.
Outside the bathroom, Wednesday was currently reading aloud to him, with great emotion, from a detective novel she had written.
Okay, "great emotion" might be an exaggeration. Her monotone delivery sounded like she was reading an autopsy report.
But the act itself was bizarre enough to be terrifying.
Wednesday Addams reading him a bedtime story? The odds of that were about the same as Venom voluntarily going vegan.
"Traces of cyanide were found under the deceased's fingernails..."
The chillingly calm narration continued from outside the door.
"Vic," Venom's black substance trembled as a small blob poked out from Vic's shoulder, its white eyes wide with panic.
"You know what this reminds me of? Before the Spring Festival in the East, when they fatten up the pigs before the slaughter."
"Shut up, Venom."
Vic lowered his voice, his fingers unconsciously scratching at the grout between the tiles.
"You're making it worse."
"This is your karma for trying to flirt with two girls at once," Venom hissed, sounding disturbingly gleeful.
"By the way, if you do get 'slaughtered,' I'm prioritizing bonding with the Goth girl. I feel like our dark aesthetics really vibe."
"In your dreams," Vic gritted his teeth. "I'm dragging you down to hell with me."
---
Vic spent the next few days living in fear, tiptoeing around until Parents' Weekend finally arrived.
Now, Vic sat alone atop the wing of the bronze raven statue in the center of the quad, dangling his legs as he looked down at the bustling crowd below.
Parents in suits and formal wear held hands with students dressed in their uniforms. Laughter mixed with fake pleasantries, weaving a picture of warmth and family that he would never be part of.
The sunlight was a bit harsh. He squinted, and suddenly, a thought struck him like lightning.
He slapped his thigh, realization dawning on him.
"That's it!"
He whispered, the corners of his mouth twitching upward uncontrollably.
"Enid and Wednesday... they think I'm heartbroken about my parents, don't they? That's why they've been comforting me in that terrifying way!"
Honestly, they thought he was so fragile.
A helpless, goofy grin spread across Vic's face. But the slight upturn of his lips betrayed a secret, cherished joy at being cared for so carefully.
"Oh, so the logic finally tracks," Venom popped out, his voice carrying its usual mockery.
"But, Vic, I gotta say objectively... you were sad that day. even if it was as short as a cheap firework."
"Yeah," Vic shrugged, his tone light. "The peak lasted maybe... five minutes? Couldn't be more."
Venom was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his raspy voice was surprisingly devoid of sarcasm.
"Seriously though, we've been together a long time. I've almost never 'tasted' sadness from you. That day... it actually surprised me. But it's good you're over it. Comforting you isn't exactly my strong suit."
Vic blinked, then suddenly adopted a sly tone.
"Hey, wait! I admit I was a little sad. But if you give me back that hidden Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 30th Anniversary Golden Ticket chocolate bar, I might cheer up instantly."
"Oh, dream on, Vic!"
Venom bristled instantly. A black tentacle shot out and gave him a very distinct, rude hand gesture.
"I was offering cheap verbal comfort, not acting as your genie!" With that, he huffily retracted into Vic's body.
"Fine," Vic pouted, sighing dramatically. "Now I'm actually sad."
Silence stretched between the human and the symbiote, but it wasn't suffocating. The noise from the quad below seemed to come from another world.
"Venom." Vic spoke suddenly.
"What now?" Venom replied grumpily.
"Thanks, brother."
A brief silence.
"You're welcome..."
Venom's voice sounded a bit awkward before he added fiercely, "By the way, stop plotting for the Golden Ticket chocolate! Don't even think about it!"
"Tch." Vic made a dissatisfied noise.
Sunlight pierced through the perpetual mist of Nevermore Academy, landing on the boy and his symbiote.
In the distance, a bell tolled. Parents' Weekend had officially begun.
Vic hopped down from the raven's wing, plastering that careless, brilliant smile back onto his face, ready to face a day destined for chaos.
---
The Nevermore quad was teeming with people.
Enid was being squeezed tight in a hug by her mother, Esther. Her father, Murray, stood by, wearing a rare smile that bordered on proud.
"Oh, Enid, my darling daughter."
Esther released her, smoothing her hand over her daughter's cheek.
"Principal Weems told us everything! You won the Poe Cup, and you let out a highly infectious howl! There's hope for you to wolf out by the next full moon! Your father and I are so proud."
Murray nodded steadily, his eyes warm. " The Sinclair pack is proud of you."
Enid's cheeks burned, a mix of joy and shyness. This validation from her family... she had waited for it for so long.
Esther's gaze swept curiously over the noisy crowd. She lowered her voice, a sly, probing tone creeping in.
"Principal Weems mentioned that a certain boy gave you the courage and encouragement to trigger your transformation? Where is this boy? Can you introduce him to your mother?"
Enid's face turned tomato red instantly, the blush spreading to the tips of her ears.
Meet her parents? This... isn't this too fast?!
Her eyes darted around nervously. She instinctively looked toward the wing of the bronze raven statue—Vic had been sitting there just a moment ago, dangling his legs like a leisurely observer.
The wing was empty.
Strange. He was just there.
Enid stood on her tiptoes, anxiously scanning the crowd for that figure with the manic smile.
Soon, she found him.
He was under the shade of an oak tree at the edge of the quad.
Vic was half-crouched, holding a plastic frisbee with worn edges that he must have found somewhere.
And standing in front of him was her younger brother, Carl—usually a shy boy with messy, curly hair. Right now, Carl was staring at the frisbee in Vic's hand with sparkling eyes, looking for all the world like an excited wolf pup.
"Ready, little Carl!" Vic shouted with a grin, winding up his arm—
The frisbee flew in a smooth arc.
Carl let out a happy, almost whimper-like yelp and bolted. He caught the frisbee in his mouth with precision just before it hit the ground.
Then, as if wagging an invisible tail, he trotted back happily, shoved the frisbee back into Vic's hand, and excitedly nuzzled his fuzzy head against Vic's palm.
"Good boy!"
Vic laughed, reaching out without hesitation to ruffle Carl's hair aggressively, turning the already messy curls into a bird's nest.
Instead of getting angry, Carl made a comfortable, purring sound, leaning into Vic's embrace as if the boy were human catnip. Or... wolfnip?
What made Enid's pupils quake even more was the line behind Carl.
Her other brothers—strapping, tall young werewolves—were actually lining up, waiting eagerly with expressions that clearly said, "Is it my turn yet?!"
It was as if Vic were a professional pet groomer or... a Wolf Whisperer?
Enid's expression froze. She screamed silently in her head.
That is my brother! Not a dog!
And my older brothers! Where is your werewolf dignity?! Did the chocolate eat it?!
A complex mix of emotions flooded her heart—30% breakdown, 30% helplessness, and 40%... pure, intense jealousy she didn't want to admit.
Dammit...
She really wanted Vic to smile like that, ruffle her hair, and spoil her without a care in the world too!
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