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Chapter Text

No-One But You (The Path Knowers Coven) - Part 2

Chapter 1: Asrun Dream (Part 1)

...

Victor Von Doom was standing in a place he didn't recognize.


...


The air around him was thick, but not with smoke or any sort of mist...

It was thick with something older.. or something that felt heavy against his skin like... a mask.

A narrow path was stretched ahead of him, but it vanished into the horizon as if it was daring him to follow.

To his left, a small figure moved slowly.

Mateo. His son was no more than six years old in that moment, and his stride was uneven.

Mateo moved as though every step forward required permission.

Victor noticed that he glanced over his shoulder often.. and Mateo's eyes were wide and uncertain.

His son was waiting. Waiting for him.

Victor’s gaze lingered on Mateo longer than he meant to.

The boy’s expression was hesitant, yet... the tilt of his chin held a stubbornness already.

His mother’s smile was there... Wanda’s smile.

The curve of it was unmistakable... dominant, and unyielding.

Mateo paused after some time, then he turned around and looked.

The voice that reached Victor was small, but steady.

...

“Do you think she can see us, Father?”


...

She?

Victor’s eyes sharpened.

He pivoted, then he searched the shadows toward his right.

A presence should have been there, or someone meant to complete the scene... but there was no one.

Only a silence that stretched too long, and it was thick enough to choke.

Victor wanted to demand clarity, and hear his son’s voice again, but the moment in front of him dissolved...


...

Someone's arm tugged at him.

Not in the dream... outside of it.

Something warm and restless was wrapped around Victor's chest... and it pulled him upward and out of the fog.

Victor’s eyes snapped open as soon as he felt it.. and the dark ceiling of a bedroom replaced that path.

The silence in that room was also broken by a very different sound...

The sound of someone breathing loudly... and close, too close.

Victor realized he was not in the dream anymore, and he quickly understood that he was in one of his many beds...

Reed bigmouth Richards was the noisy person sleeping beside him, with his limbs tangled in ways that would shame any dignified arrangement.

The man’s grip was a vice... and his arm was hooked across Victor’s chest.

Reed's over-stretched leg was thrown over Victor’s as well.

The forever bothersome Mister Fantastic was presently reduced to a restless knot of heat and weight.

Victor scowled faintly when it all registered, then he roughly pressed a hand to Reed’s shoulder.

The semi-sorta ruler of Latveria was attempting to pry himself loose, but Reed’s unconscious hold tightened up in response.

Every move Victor made only dragged him back into the tangle.

Victor muttered under his breath eventually, because Mateo’s voice still lingered.

The remnants of his dream were dominating his thoughts... so Victor shifted again and tried to pry Reed’s arm from where it had somehow hooked beneath his ribs.

It was absurd and undignified... like trying to free himself from a net woven in his own bed.

Reed finally stirred around, then he let out a muffled laugh against Victor’s shoulder.

His eyes blinked open, then his demeanor immediately became mischievous.

...

“You’re so.. icy.”


...

Icy? Victor’s jaw tightened.

...


“And you’re such a worm.”

...

Hah. That only made Reed laugh harder, and it also made him wriggle even closer.

In fact, Mister Fantastic started deliberately winding his arms and legs tighter around Victor like he was some determined parasite.

Victor grunted again, then he started tugging at Reed’s elbow and nudging at his knee with his own leg.

...


“We both know you like to cuddle.”

...

Reed had to tease him.. and he also ignored Victor's attempts to free himself.

They had a good date, for once, so his grin slipped open wide in the dark.

It started feeling warmer too... and intimate, so Victor’s voice went flat, with a warning.

...


“Don’t.”

...

Don't?

Oh, Reed’s grin really widened.

He adjusted his weight and loomed over Victor, then he tucked his head almost smugly against the man's chest.

The silence between them stretched, then it filled with Reed’s quiet laughter and the steady rhythm of his breathing.

Victor gave a defeated sigh, mainly because his thoughts drifted back to Mateo’s small voice in his dream.

It was the first time he heard him speak.. so he had to talk to Wanda about it...

And.. that uncertain question was echoing louder than Reed’s movements and teasing.

Who was Mateo talking about? Victor didn't feel the presence of his wife at all...

On top of all that... Victor let Reed cling like a worm without any further protest.

Yeah. He let him... because his mind was elsewhere. On his son.

Victor's mind was also focused more on that unknown path.. and on the question he hadn’t been able to answer.


...

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.


Heads up: This story is definitely going to be a slow-moving journey. I’m still figuring out where everything’s headed, so updates might be a bit irregular.

Thanks so much for reading, and feel free to share any thoughts or feedback along the way. I really appreciate it!

Chapter Text

No-One But You (The Path Knowers Coven) - Part 2

Chapter 2: Asrun Dream (Part 2)

…

“You know what your problem is?”

…

Reed Richards had a relentless energy that refused to let the night pass quietly. 

Victor Von Doom was there in the dark.. directly beside him. 

Victor’s body tensed up with those words, and his soul actually braced itself for Reed’s random nonsense.

…


“Do enlighten me.”

…

“You think distance makes you untouchable.. but it doesn’t. And, we had a good day together, didn’t we? Even you can admit that.”

…

Reed bigmouth Richards shifted around again as he spoke..

They spent an entire day together, in Latveria, and Reed was proud of that..

Victor even took him to some secluded pub for dinner... so he started worming his way higher against Victor’s chest.

The semi-sorta ruler of Latveria tried to look at Reed as he squirmed around, but there was barely any light in their room.

They were in that room.. and we all should remember what it meant.

…

“It was… tolerable.”

…

Hah. 

Reed chuckled hard when he heard Victor’s icy response, then he gave him another squeeze.

Mister Fantastic’s hand traced idly over the curve of Victor’s ribs too.. just for fun.

…

“You’ll never give me more than that, will you?”

…

Victor’s eyes opened up a little wider after that, and his breath slowed down just a bit…

Instead of answering… Victor let the silence drag on for as long as he possibly could..

That silence was his answer, and it really stretched between them… so Reed loomed in again and changed his tone.


…


“C’mon man.. admit it. You love this.”

…


Reed whispered that thought out loud for all to hear, but it was just the two of them, and he refused to let Victor retreat into silence.

…

“No. I don’t.”


…

“Yes. You do. Tell me you love it. Just once.”


…

Reed pressed his forehead hard against Victor’s shoulder, because his soul was aching for the response.

He grinned over the fabric of Victor’s shirt as well, and he waited for anything..

Reed hated waiting.. so his eyes glanced over Victor’s shirt again.. 

His shirt was dark, like always… but that’s not the point.


…

“I’ve given you quite a bit. Haven’t I? And you’ll never stop demanding..”


…

The bed creaked beneath the clash of them, because Victor finally answered.

He answered with the force of someone who could crush Reed… but chose not to. 

Their movements turned harder on that bed, and sharper, because the need to dominate and be heard tangled in and took over…

Victor’s hand gripped Reed’s jaw hard, and his eyes burned down into him.

…


“You never stop, Reed. So I’ll never give you what you think you want.”

…


Victor said what he did, and that voice was breaking with heat. 

His weight bore down on Reed more deliberately too, as if he needed to underline a specific point. 

Reed’s grin only widened, laced with defeat, and the words he had became caught in his throat as Victor pressed into him even harder.


…


“I also want you to know that I was in the middle of a dream. That’s why I was… icy.”

…

Wait. A dream?

Reed had a question or two to ask about that, but Victor’s mouth crashed over his, and the gesture was fierce with punishment.

Reed could tell Victor was frustrated about something, but he didn’t break from it…

In fact, Reed only rolled with the force of it, and he gasped into the kiss like it was oxygen.

The battle between them was still burning, always burning, and Reed’s laughter followed that brutal kiss.

That goofy laugh of his actually simmered down into heavy breaths.

His body was still very tangled around Victor… and all he could do was stare up at the man above him.

Reed wasn’t sure what to say to that… so he only looked, and the sight of Victor’s chest froze him.

Victor Von Doom had a mark hidden there… beneath his shirt.

That dark red symbol was still burned into his flesh like a brand.

Her brand.

Oh, Reed’s jaw tightened up… as his hands smoothed down Victor’s back.

It wasn’t just jealousy, ok? It was the raw ache of seeing proof that Victor always belonged to someone else.

Reed’s known that for over a decade.. and now the seal of Wanda Maximoff burned between them.

The leader of the Fantastic Four could see it there beneath his shirt.. and his soul clawed against it.

Deep down.. Reed wanted to overwrite it, somehow, or scar Victor with something of his own.

What’s a relentless, slightly self-absorbed, home-wrecking, obsessive, greedy man to do?

Reed’s grin returned to him as he moved around and sat up… until his lips found the edge of Victor’s throat. 

His mouth brushed lower after a while, and his teeth grazed the line of Victor’s neck. 

Reed sucked at the skin and kissed it rough, then he tugged it between his teeth just enough to sting… and hopefully leave a bruise.

Victor didn’t catch on at first. Why would he?

He was only invested in the feel of Reed’s mouth on his neck… 

The feel of Reed’s mouth in general was luring Victor in again for another round, but he stiffened instantly, and his voice filled the room like a growl. 

…

“Don’t. You. Dare.”

…

HAH.

Reed had to laugh hard when he was caught and called out.

His laugh was low and wicked too, then he went for Victor’s neck again.

What’s the friggen problem? The man really needed to know…

…

“Why can’t I leave my mark? She knows we’re doing this.” 

…

Reed’s teeth scraped his target once more, just before Victor yanked him back with a ton of force.

Beneath all that heat, tension, and drama… the symbol on Victor’s chest pulsed like a third presence in the room..

…


“You’ll leave nothing. Do you understand?”


…


TCH. Yeah right. 

We’ll see about that… foreign bastard.

Reed chose to resist what Victor Von Doom fucking said, and he only arched up against him and kissed him shamelessly.

Their mouths crashed together again after that, and everything between them felt brutal, hungry, and desperate. 

Every kiss became a war, because the need to claim and the refusal to be claimed twined so tightly it hurt.

Reed wasn’t going to stop.. because he never did.

So, Reed Richards pushed back and rebelled every time Victor shoved him down, pinned his wrists, and tried to stop him.

His mouth was everywhere at some point… his shoulder, his jaw, throat, and every scrape of those teeth were a threat.

Why? Because the brand on Victor’s chest really glared at Reed in the dark that evening.

Wanda’s mark on Victor was all red and alive, and some might say Reed’s blood burned at the sight of it. 

In that moment… he really wanted to cover it, erase it, eclipse it, or just defy it in general..

Sometimes.. Reed really wanted Victor all for himself… and he wanted him stripped of every seal and vow he’s ever friggen made.

…

“Stop fighting me.” 

…

Victor’s voice became low and dangerous.. and the words he had for Reed came out rougher than he meant.

But… that was the thing about Reed Richards and Wanda Maximoff. 

They both loved to fight him.

They both loved to challenge him… make him lose his balance, and test the edges of his patience until something cracked. 

Reed did it with a grin… and Wanda?

Victor knew good and well that his wife loved to tease him.

She also challenged him all the time with a sense of grace that made every argument feel like a dance. 

They both refused to yield to him. Both of them…


…


“I won’t stop.. because I want you to wear something from me, for once..”

…

Victor’s eyes narrowed into an icy glare when he heard that response.. because there was no need for softness with Reed Richards. 

That was the difference between them… because Victor could say what he meant without caring if it stung. 

He could be cruel to Reed, shove him back, and snarl at him when the teasing went too far. 

Victor also wasn’t afraid of hurting him physically either, or pressuring him into intimacy, so he answered that noise with nothing but silence and force.

…

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.

Chapter Text

No-One But You (The Path Knowers Coven) - Part 2

Chapter 3: Asrun Dream (Part 3)

…

Wanda Maximoff was sitting by a wide basin near her son’s crib with her sleeves rolled up, and her hair loose down her back.

…


Mateo splashed his tiny hands through his bath water, and he was gurgling with delight.

His laughter always filled the room, and Wanda smiled softly, even as her thoughts wandered elsewhere...

Her husband had been in an odd mood for a while.. and she was hoping the time he spent with Reed Richards would fix that.

We'll see... won't we?

The thought drew a sly little smirk from her lips... because Wanda wasn’t bothered by it, not even slightly. 

The forever-persistent Reed Richards was no threat to their marriage... and if anything, his endless fixation with Victor amused her. 

Wanda let him chase... because she had better things to do.

Right now, she had Mateo.

Mateo Von Doom was the one thing that made her forget everything else.

He was still young, barely a year old, but Wanda had already seen who he would grow into... in her dreams.

Mateo spoke to her there, and his voice was clear, curious, and far too knowing for a child that was still learning to crawl.

Her dreams with him were gentle.. and she hadn’t realized that he was also reaching for his father. 

Not yet.

So.. Wanda rinsed his tiny hands, and brushed her thumb along his knuckles.

Mateo made a delighted noise as if he wanted to speak, and Wanda laughed under her breath.

As she dried her son’s small body and dressed him for his day, her mind drifted back to Victor again. 

He told her that he wanted to be “fully present” for Reed to stop his demands... and she almost laughed out loud at the memory of it.

To stop his demands... that was a fine joke.

Wanda fixed the last button on Mateo’s clothes and lifted him up as she thought about it.

He was warm, soft, and endlessly curious. 

Wanda pressed her cheek to his, then she breathed in the clean scent of him.

Oh, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her after that... and they were measured, heavy, and familiar.

Victor returned to them.. so Wanda turned her head slightly.

She caught the sight of him through the arched doorway.

He changed... his clothes were immaculate again, and freshly pressed. 

Victor's posture was still composed, like before, but the tension in his eyes betrayed him.

Handsome too, like always. But stressed.

Wanda couldn’t help the amused smile that rose to her lips.

Clearly, something had gone wrong... because he wasn’t supposed to come back angry with Reed Richards. 

They were supposed to have worked out all that “brilliant drama-boy” nonsense by now.

How funny.

Wanda adjusted Mateo in her arms, then she rocked him gently as she looked over her husband’s face.

Victor’s gaze swept the room with his usual precision, then he stopped...

First on her, then on their son.

Something softened Victor's expression.. because Mateo blinked up at him with those wide eyes.

There was a spark of knowing in them. The same eyes from Victor’s dream.

A soft, bubbling sound came from the boy’s lips... and it was something close to a greeting, a small hello.

Victor heard it loud and clear, and for a moment.. he stood perfectly still.

The man was caught between the remnants of his dream and the impossible reality smiling back at him.

...

“Were you too busy to miss us, Victor?”

...

Wanda glanced over her shoulder when she asked him her question, then she turned to face her infamous husband. 

Her question was built to tease him, because Wanda could tell they were missed.

Victor crossed the floor before he answered her... until his shadow fell across both of them.

...

“I was busy, yes, but not absent. At least, not entirely.”

...


His gaze dropped to the boy, and as always, his finger found its mark..

Victor lightly touched the tip of Mateo’s nose. 

The child wrinkled it for an instant, then he giggled again and gave Victor another greeting.

That tiny sound hit Victor harder than he cared to admit. 

His fingers twitched toward an action, because he wanted to lift the boy into his arms, but he didn’t. 

Not yet. The idea of holding something that delicate still terrified him.

Wanda noticed Victor's hesitation, as she always did. 

She never said a word about it... never pressed.

Wanda only watched him with a quiet patience, hoping he would hold him, but Victor only let out a slow breath...

...

“Someone was visiting me in my sleep.”

...

Oh? That made her smile. 


...

“Visiting you? How flattering.”

...

Victor raised an eyebrow.


...

“Not in the way you think.”

...

Mateo made another sound, as if answering him, and Victor’s voice softened. 


...

“He was there, but not like this. Not as you see him now. Mateo was older, and he could speak. He spoke to me.”

...

Oh yeah? That was nothing new for Wanda, so she only smiled and turned her head.

She looked at their son with an amused expression.

Wanda was amused... and curious. 


...

“And? What did he say to you?”

...

Victor’s gaze turned distant with the question, mainly because the memory was taking shape in his mind. 

Mateo's big eyes were locked on his father, and Wanda could tell their boy was listening.

How cute is this...

...

“He asked me if I thought someone could see us. He specifically asked if she could see us, but.. I don’t know who he meant.”

...

Hmm.. Wanda really studied Victor after hearing that.

The edges of his face were still marked by the dream, and there were faint traces of something raw beneath his composure. 

But what caught her attention next was far less mysterious.

There... just beneath his jaw.

Wanda's mouth slipped open.. because she noticed several tiny, unmistakable marks along Victor's neck.

Territory marks, from someone's college sweetheart? How funny.

Oh, her lips curved at the thought, then her amusement became impossible to suppress. 

...

“Well, perhaps Reed Richards can help us.”

...

Victor followed her gaze and frowned slightly, then his fingers brushed the tender skin at his neck. 

That relentless worm kept him up all night with his noise, and Victor was beyond bothered by what Reed did to his neck... 

Wanda even pointed at it, but Victor gently turned away..

...

“It’s nothing.”

...

“Of course. Nothing at all.”

...

The infamous Scarlet Witch spoke with a playful smirk, but Victor ignored her teasing.

He had to ignore it, and he quickly changed the subject away from Reed Richards. 

His mind was a million miles away from that bigmouth clown anyway...

...

“What if Mateo’s soul is physically caught within our spell? Bound somewhere inside Yggdrasill? What if.. what we see here is merely a vessel?”

...

That question had haunted Victor since the day Mateo was brought to life before him.

Now the question lingered beneath every look between them, every heartbeat, and every unspoken fear.

Wanda’s laughter faded for a moment.. then she shifted Mateo in her arms and crossed the small distance between them. 

Her hand came to rest on Victor’s arm, and the gesture was meant to be light and grounding.


...

“You’re overthinking.. and, you’re just excited that he’s speaking to you. But.. he has to grow first, and learn. Dreams aren’t shortcuts, Victor. They’re reflections.”


...

Victor listened to Wanda's response, and his eyes flicked down to her touch. 

Overthinking was probably an understatement. Yes, but the semi-sorta ruler of Latveria felt the need to calculate the odds.

Because.. if Mateo's soul was physically bound to Yggdrasill...

The World Tree, what then?

In Victor's mind, that explained Mateo's ability to visit him and speak... in dreams.

...

“He sounded so certain. So aware. It wasn't like the babble of an infant. There was.. thought.”

...

Oh, Victor. The babble of an infant. Did you catch that?

Wanda had to close her eyes for a moment.

She loved to hear Mateo babble, so she quickly traced the seam of his sleeve with her thumb. 

Victor looked so handsome in that moment too... yet very troubled..

What's a tender wife to do?

...

“Then.. be patient enough to let him reach you in his own time.”

...

Victor’s jaw tightened after hearing that he needed to be... patient.

Patience was a word he mastered on the surface, but beneath it, the current of his own restlessness churned.

Victor looked at Mateo once again, and that baby blinked up at him with the same eyes he saw in the dream. 

For the first time, Victor’s hand lingered an inch closer than before.. close enough for Wanda to think he might lift his son.

But, he didn’t.

Instead, Victor whispered something soft, almost to himself..

...

“I can wait.”

...

And though Wanda knew he believed himself in that moment, she also knew the truth...

Patience wasn't something Victor Von Doom liked to practice... not when it came to the things he couldn’t control.

…

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.