My Number One (001/Henry Creel/Vecna x Reader)

Dominating Decision

The next morning, I woke up beside Henry.

It felt better than I ever could've imagined. Anywhere I woke up which wasn't beside Henry never felt like home. Not in the laboratory, not in the strip club, and most definitely not in Dean's bed. The fact that I had had a break from Henry just made me appreciate him all the more.

He was still asleep when I woke, so I lent on my side just to watch him for a while.

Seeing him so vulnerable, so innocently dreaming, made me see him in a different light. He was just a person. Even with his powers, and his newfound strength gained from digesting the corpses of his victims, he was still just a person. He had feelings. Likes and dislikes. I wondered what he dreamt about. I wondered how much of him was truly evil, and how much of it was learned. How much was nature, and how much was nurture. If it really was just nurture, I wondered how much innocence he still had left inside of him. If he suppressed it consciously, purposely, by force, and if that innocence came out while he was sleeping, subconsciously, off guard.

Seeing him like that made me want to take care of him, protect him, love him. And I did love him.

The memory of him telling me, 'of course I love you,' the night before came spiralling back. I relished in the thought, replayed those words a million times in my head. I had acted casual in the moment, partially because I was focused on the subject of the conversation, but mainly because I didn't want to look like a simp getting all excited about it. I definitely was inside, though.

He moved a little, and I decided to pretend to be asleep until Henry woke up to find out what he'd do while unaware I was watching.

It was still another ten minutes before he showed any more signs of waking up, so I quickly jutted my arm out and prodded him, before resuming my fake sleeping position.

Then, I heard him move, before feeling his long, bony hand reach out and touch my face. He sucked in a deep breath, then slid his hand down my neck, onto my chest, and my waist, while breathing out again.

After that, he stood up and left the room. I finally relaxed and shifted positions to be more comfortable while the places he touched me were left tingling.

The appetising smell of cooking trailed up through the house and into the bedroom, making me feel more awake. I followed it downstairs to find Henry frying meat.

He must have heard me creep into the doorway because, without looking up, he said with a smile, "You can't even resist the smell of it now, can you?"

"No, I can certainly resist human meat. It's you I can't resist."

But I didn't walk up to join Henry at the kitchen counter, instead sitting down at the table to watch him from afar, because one thought darkened my mind like a grey cloud. "What ever happened to Will?" I asked, unable to keep the worry to myself.

Henry paused his cooking, but didn't turn around to face me. "The boy I stopped you from saving?"

I swallowed hard, sensing bad news.

Henry slowly reached his hand out and grabbed the bag of spare meat from the counter, shaking it gently as an indication it was Will.

My heart dropped. It couldn't be.

Knowing Will's past, how loved he was, how his friends were still expecting his return, fighting for it...made me feel so much more empathy towards Henry's victims. They all had precious lives, not just Will. It wasn't right for me to dismiss that just because I was attracted to their killer.

"Henry...that's not right," I protested quietly, but I knew it was no use. We'd been through this countless times—I would never be able to change Henry's mind on the situation.

Henry sighed then, and reluctantly turned to face me. "You accept my way of life around here, or you leave." Then the slightest smirk tainted his previously serious lips. "And we both know you can't keep yourself away."

I wanted to attempt to deny that statement, but we both knew it was true, so I didn't bother. "Okay. As long as all I have to do is accept it, not assist you in any way."

Henry stared at me for a second then. "Well, that depends. There are a few other things I would like some assistance with."

"Like what?"

He walked over to me, slowly, and when he reached me, he gently grabbed by hand, bringing it down to his nether region.

My heart skipped a beat. I would never become used to being this close to him.

I looked him in the eyes, and grasped at what was touching my hand, but he backed away.

"Not yet," he said. "I don't want to overcook the meat." Then he hesitated. "Although...my own meat does feel quite overcooked itself right now..."

"Do you want me to help cool it down?" I asked, smiling.

Henry struggled to remove the smile from his face. "That's, enough, we need to behave. There are a lot of things I have to get on with today...with the plan."

My heart sank again. It was so good when the two of us were consumed with our love, but I hated when reality hit. The reality that Henry was a serial killer, and was planning world dominance.

He backed me into a chair, then knelt on the floor in front of me, almost pleading. "I want you to help me, but I won't ask again after now. This is your last chance. There's no one I would rather share this experience with. You're my partner, we're supposed to do things together. I won't force you to carry out this plan with me, but, please, if you trust me, you will."

I thought for a moment.

There really was no point in stopping him. He was far more powerful than myself, and Eleven, and her friends...and if I wasn't going to stop him, then what difference would it make to join him on his journey to erase humanity?

They were all going to die, anyway.