Chapter Text
The dorm was quiet, lit by the moonlight. The alarm clock by her bedside read 3:15 AM, and she gave up on sleep before even trying. She closed her eyes despite herself and tried to focus on the place around her. The radiator hummed gently. The old plumbing fighting hard to keep temperatures barely above frigid. outside fluttering wings beat in a much lazier pace than her heart did.
All around, the large school creaked in random places, giving an eerie, haunted vibe that at least helped console her. Wednesday tried to fight the urge to look, grabbing at the covers around herself, which felt itchy and incorrect in a way she couldn’t explain. She fought her mind a little longer, giving up ultimately to inspect the mountain of covers across the room that could barely be distinguished as a person.
The only thing that convinced Wednesday that Enid was still there was a little patch of blonde barely visible above the covers and the slow rhythmic rise and fall of the pile. She tried to close her eyes again, but opened them the moment the night's images started to flash behind her eyelids.
She tried to take a deep breath, then another. They all came out shaky and uncertain. She braced her arms around herself in a cheap imitation of the hug from earlier and tried to recreate some of the comfort she had felt.
As she walked out of the school, ears ringing, blood still dripping from some odd places - she could barely lift her shoulder, it was starting to get numb as the adrenaline from the night wore off- still, she pushed through, even as she stumbled and the crowd of anxious students made way for her, she never even looked at their faces as her heart hammered her internal organs trying to compensate for the blood loss, her eyes never stoped searching the crowd.
Either from the multiple traumatic head injuries or the blood loss, she didn’t see Enid coming until her whole body collided with a pink wall. Her brain took a second to catch up, but when it did, her knees trembled. She would have fallen if it weren't for the arms holding her so tightly they might have broken some extra ribs, not that she would have minded. She let the breath she didn’t know she had been holding all night out, and it nearly drove her into unconsciousness.
enid. Enid was alive. Enid was alive and crying.
Wednesday panicked and forced her spirit back into her body and managed whatever strength she had to hold up Enid’s scrunched-up face. She inspected it carefully, which was difficult with all the tears, blood, and gravel. But she was smiling, and Wednesday pulled her back before she could scold herself, arms shaking and mind racing.
They were okay. Better than okay, alive.
The rest of the night had been a blur of hysterical parents and uncooperative law enforcement that were barely trained for mall riots, let alone an attempted genocide. The students who had nowhere to go stayed, their future fairly uncertain, hanging on to Weems’ persuasive powers.
By the time they were discharged by the EMTs, Enid had barely been awake. Wednesday wondered if she would remember the evening events once she woke. Feeling upset by the idea seemed childish, so, feeling the last of her resolve slip, she threw the covers and sat, legs dangling off the bed, tiptoes barely reaching the floor.
She stood unsure of where to go. The pile of blankets remained unmoved. The clock blinked 3:36 tauntingly.
She thought of going for a walk, but if the negative temperature wouldn’t stop her, the police certainly would. She tried to imagine wheems dragging her back with her bare hands, and even the mental image of her fancy heels sinking in the mushy forest floor didn’t bring her joy.
She tried to match Enid's breath, but her heart wouldn’t stop hammering in tandem with her shoulder. She made a fist with her hands and pressed it to her chest, attempting to exert some control over the offending organ. It didn’t bulge.
Before she could even think not to, she was already standing next to the pink lump she called roommate. She didn’t make any sounds apart from the rhythmic whoosh of breath. Slowly her heart started to copy Enid’s, and beat in a little less relentless rhythm. If Enid were to wake now, Wednesday would certainly give her a heart attack. She tried to force herself to move, but her feet didn’t.
She glanced at the clock, and it no longer read 3, so she refused to acknowledge the rest of the numbers, crossing her arms. unfortunately there was no one to be on the receiving end of her mood, she thought about calling her parents, they certainly had heard of the evening’s events by now, if not by word of mouth then grandmamas knee would’ve certainly ached; she suspected they would be over the moon, but for some strange reason the mood to celebrate such an evening didn't strike her.
eventually her knees started to hurt and her bare feet got numb, she refused to glance at the clock again, she was sure whatever it read would make her seem like more of a creep than she would usually feel comfortable with.
The mountain stirred. Wednesday tried to assess her exits, too little too late, sleep seeping in her bones, slowing her to the speed Pugsley had at six months old.
“Wedns” Enid whined, peaking over the covers, “I thought you were the Babadook.” Her mumbled voice almost made Wednesday think it was some nonsense word, but Enid seemed to think it was funny.
“Sorry” she replied, voice smaller than intended, “I was just checking…” she trailed off, not knowing how to rephrase ‘you were still alive’ in a less jarring sentence.
“hm” Enid gave her the best inquisitive look she could muster with one eye open and enough sleep to drug a whole town “y’nkow you never exploded into hives after touching that coat, are you really that allergic?”
Wednesday shifted on her feet uncomfortably. “It’s more of a ruse...” Her arms were still crossed, but they were numb now; she let them fall to her side.
“hmm” Enid pondered, “so hypothetically if you joined me in here on top of not freezing to death, you would also not, like, totally die?”
Wednesday shifted again, Enid had the same tone Pugsley had when he was trying to lure her into one of his poorly placed vats of acid “...no”
The word had barely left her mouth when a clawed hand closed over her wrist and dragged her into an inferno of pink and blonde and skin that was just too soft not to be a figment of her quickly decaying mental capacities. She quickly plopped herself half on top of Wednesday, essentially making her a prisoner. She had half a mind to think that if this had been anyone else, she would have made quick work of scalping them with the knife she kept taped under Enid’s bed.
Enid huffed, happy with her conquest. The hot air hit the side of Wednesday’s neck, making her blush even harder than she’d already been.
“ya snooze ya looze, sucka” Enid mumbled before going back to sleep, giving no indication she had been awake at all, and Wednesday hadn’t all but hallucinated a way to sneak herself there. Wednesday didn’t understand half the words that had been muttered, and she half wondered if it had been another language altogether.
She couldn’t move if she tried to, not that she had. She felt the warmth from earlier seeping into her bones again, soothing some strange underlying pain that wasn’t quite physical. Her heart rate finally seemed to fully follow Enid’s beat. The pain slowed down to a barely there hum. She hated to admit that Enid’s bed was monumentally comfier than hers; she could almost feel herself sinking into the mattress, everything smelled sickly sweet, like fake strawberries.
She should have been heaving and begging for fresh air, but instead she found herself inhaling a lungful. She was almost starting to differentiate the smells of fabric softener, some fancy perfume, and limey shampoo when her eyes lost the battle with sleep.
As her heart matched the lazy fluttering wings outside, she was finally able to drift to sleep, with enough enemies buried to inspire many more novels to come and a giant wolf for a lapdog to keep the nigh terrors at bay.
.
Her feet drummed on the forest floor violently in tandem with her racing heart. Enid couldn’t remember where she was going, but she knew it was urgent. something deep inside her screamed faster, faster, faster as her muscles burned with effort. She felt claws sinking into unnatural, stiff skin with a deep sense of relief and satisfaction. I won. But still something knawed at her. something was missing. The school burned with orange flames, painting the night bright. She wrapped her arms around herself as the fire burned and she waited, she waited until the fire evaporated the tears running down her cheeks, and there was nothing but black ashes left. She waited, and no one came; she never got shaky arms wrapped around her.
she failed
Her knees hit the ground with such force she could almost feel the pools of blood forming, but she didn’t care; she couldn’t care.
She failed Wednesday
she failed her-
“Enid!”
Her eyes shot open. It was hard to see with all the tears; her chest heaved painfully. Each breath felt like lifting a building off her chest. She blinked again, heavy tears falling downward. She felt nimble fingers gently grabbing the hairs on her nape, shifting her eyes to Wednesday's dark irises. Enid tried to remember where she was; the events from the night came back cascading like a domino as she slowly regained consciousness by copying Wednesday’s weirdly slow breaths.
She blinked again, and this time no tears fell down to stay on Wednesday’s cheeks. Enid brought a shaking hand to her cheek to clean the tracks they’d left, being careful not to touch her claws to skin.
“you’re alive” she said, voice coming out weak and raspy. Her throat burned with the sheer relief that sentence brought her.
Wednesday knit her brows.
“Still doubt me after all we’ve been through?”
Enid couldn’t help the laughter. She let it fill her chest as she finally let her body collapse from the half-on-top position she had been holding. She hid her face on Wednesday’s shoulder and let the tears fall freely. Wednesday brought her other hand to wipe the tears and cradle Enid’s face gently, urging her to look up
“You were screaming my name” Her eyebrows hadn’t relaxed.
Enid felt the bad tears come back and tried to push away, urging her voice not to tremble.
“you didn’t come back. I was- I was waiting and you didn’t come back”
Wednesday didn’t let up on her job of wiping Enid's tears, taking it very seriously. Enid could almost see the tiny gears turning in her head, trying to think of a humane way to call her weak.
“I came back” was all she offered, voice small, and all Enid could offer in return was a watery shake of her head, tears escaping Wednesday’s diligent work. Enid let herself collapse again, and they stayed like that, Wednesday working through the strands in Enid's hair as the offending afternoon sun blasted the room.
When she felt like she had properly gathered her bearings, she peered a look up, Wednesday had the arm that wasn't playing with Enid’s hair protecting her eyes from the blast of light.
“sooo” Enid started, suddenly in the mood to play with fire, “do I need to start carrying an EpiPen?
Wednesday stilled her ministrations, and Enid would’ve regretted her action plan if not for the blush slowly creeping up Wednesday’s neck. She opened her mouth to reply, without moving her arm, but before she could, the door suddenly opened to reveal a disheveled Principal Wheems, dark shadows under her eyes after a most certainly sleepless night. She scanned the bedroom and did a double-take when her eyes landed on Enid’s side of the room.
She blinked once, twice, thrice, to make sure her tired eyes were playing tricks on her or that she had finally started having hallucinations. Wednesday never moved to uncover her eyes or acknowledge her presence. Enid smiled back awkwardly, trying to fight the blush in her cheeks.
“Girls,” Wheems finally said after she was able to process the scene and force her mouth to work, “I need all students in the quad in five minutes.” She left without making a comment, certainly too tired to get involved in any more situations than she absolutely had to.
Enid looked back at Wednesday, who had finally managed to uncover her eyes and face the wrath of the sun, certain that their blushing cheeks matched and trying not to think too much about it.
“soo about that EpiPen”
.
When they arrived at the quad, it was brimming with students dressed in the wildest possible combinations of covers, pajamas, and whatever they could put on with such short notice. Wednesday looked absolutely pristine, and if not for how extra pale she looked, a passerby wouldn’t imagine she had been fighting for her life less than twelve hours ago. Enid hadn’t bothered to change out of her pajamas or brush her hair, opting to stay in bed until Wednesday was halfway out the door, grabbing the blanket she had been lying on and using it as a robe as they made their way through the school, looking like a match made in hell.
Some students dared glances at them, only to be met by Wednesday’s most unfiltered glare she could muster with whatever energy she had left, but most were too involved in their own drama to pay them any mind. A good part of the school had burned, and the students who weren't able to leave the night before shared precarious accommodations in the west quarters. A few people bumped into each other, murmuring sorrys all around, most likely still hungover from the mass hypnotization of the night before.
Enid finally found their little ragtag group and guided them through the crowd. When they reached the group, Enid unceremoniously fell on Yoko’s lap, making herself comfortable in her lump of covers. If Yoko even noticed the intrusion, she didn't acknowledge it; her brows were knit as she stared off at nothing in particular. Sitting next to her, Divina had a dreamy expression, similar to the one Pugsley got when he ate too many of the wild mushrooms that grew under the garden shed. She sighed at nothing as she played with her hair.
Wednesday risked a glance at Bianca, who was also half sitting, half lying down, slumped against the wall. She looked like hell, even more pale than Wednesday felt, with dark circles under heavy eyelids that she barely managed to keep open. Around them, most students did the same, slumping against floors, tables, or whoever could still stand upright.
Wheems finally made her grand entrance, the last few students following grumpily behind the click clack of heels on stone. There was barely a mumble over the crowd.
“Attention everyone” Wednesday was surprised wheems was still standing after such a night, she half expected her to resign on the spot, or have a aneurysm, but there she was “unfortunately due to last night's events the academy will need to be closed” the murmurs intensified around them “I wish there could be another way, but I believe it's for on your best interest to be away while the authorities…work” a crime scene full of outcasts bristling with police was certainly a dreadful combination, for once Wednesday found herself agreeing with Wheems.
The principal was now trying to placate the crowd. “I know this is a difficult situation, but I ask for your collaboration. I have contacted the guardians I could get a hold of overnight. There is a list posted on the cafeteria with the names of those I haven't been able to get in contact with. Please check if your name is there and contact your families. The school will provide a ride wherever you need to go, and we are trying to arrange lodging in a nearby town for the rest.” Jericho certainly wouldn't be very welcoming at the moment.
“For now, try and eat, the kitchens will be open all day, if you would like a meeting, Professor Kent will be scheduling appointments with me and other staff,” she finished cutly and left without frills before any students could recover from the shock and stop her.
Wednesday glanced being her back at her pile of acquaintances, Yoko was still staring at nothing, Divina was humming a melody quietly while playing with Yoko’s hair now, Bianca had lost the war with her eyelids and was practically lying on the floor using the wall as a pillow. Enid had fallen back asleep, snoring peacefully on Yoko's lap.
Wednesday opted not to disturb them for now and made her way to the cafeteria, where the more awake students lined up for the coffee, and the less awake slumped over tables. Wednesday checked the list thoroughly twice, trying to ignore the pang in her chest whenever her eyes went over Enid's name. She tried to focus on her shoulder wound instead; the thrumming pain rang in time with her headache, giving her something to focus on.
She tried not to think of her stalker behavior from the night before, or the warmth that was quickly leaving her bones the more she stayed away. It was ridiculously childish. Enid was alive; she killed the Hyde with her bare hands. They defeated the big bad normie and survived to tell the tale.
Truly, she should be elated, bouncing up and down with barely contained enjoyment at the bonus prospect of escaping the enclosure, even if just for a few weeks. But she was upset. It was their enclosure after all. She spent months carefully curating the space and relationship that allowed her to open herself for the first time since her scorpion was crushed, taking her tiny black heart with it.
Wednesday chalked the success of her relationship with Enid to her unpredictability factor. The only thing she loved more than being a torment was being unpredictable, and there was nothing more unpredictable than the sight of Enid and Wednesday side by side. Wednesday should hate and despise her, Enid was the textbook definition of everything Wednesday vowed to avoid but yet there she was, bested by office paper and printer ink.
eventually, enough students gathered around her that she was forced to move. She made her way back, dragging her feet, trying to convince herself this wasn’t a problem she needed to solve. She knew that Enid had a complicated relationship with her family, but who doesn't? There was also no sign she would want Wednesday to interfere.
By the time she made her way back, nobody had moved. Divina was humming a different song, her eyes lit up, and she opened a giant smile when she saw Wednesday
“Guten tag!” she said excitedly.
“Wrong language, dear” Yoko said faintly without taking her eyes from her invisible target.
Wednesday acknowledged Divina with a nod and gave Bianca a playful nudge with her boot. Bianca glared back with one eye.
“Shall I get a bucket?”
“fuck you, Addams” she tried, but it had no bite.
Wednesday huffed and turned to check on Enid, crouching next to Yoko. She brushed the hairs that had fallen on her face, and thankfully, everyone was too hazed to notice - or make a comment. Wednesday tried to shake Enid awake to no success.
“Enid” the only reply was a low, upset rumble. Wednesday hated that it made her want to apologize “Enid, you have to call your parents” she tried again, and that did it. The girl went from dead to the world to wide-eyed in a tenth of a second.
“What???” She tried to make her way out of the nest she had made of Yoko’s lap, but the covers tangled everywhere; Wednesday was able to catch her seconds before her face hit the floor.
“Whoa thanks!” she grabbed Wednesday’s arm for support, blushing pink before remembering the situation at hand and scrambling to her feet, pacing from side to side.
“Wheems is closing down the school until paw patrol is done.” Bianca finally returned to the land of the living with a loud groan. Enid stopped pacing for a moment to look at Wednesday like she had grown a third, very cute eye.
Wednesday remembered Enid's description of the insipid copaganda disguised as a children’s cartoon, and apparently that made her very proud. But not enough to stop panicking, she resumed her pacing. Wednesday tried turning to Yoko for directions, but the vampire was nowhere to be found mentally.
Enid finally noticed Wednesday staring at Yoko and did the same, eventually placing herself in front of her, clicking her fingers in an attempt to check if anyone was home. “Yoko? Come on! What are you looking at?” Enid looked around in Yoko’s line of sight as if she could find something there
“hmm” Yoko hummed
“Yoko” Enid grabbed her face to force eye contact “I need words”
“Cherry blossoms” she offered in a barely audible whisper. Wednesday looked around, confused. All trees were bare for the winter, and they surely weren’t cherry trees.
“Oh” Enid wrinkled her nose, “depressing”
“hmn”
Wednesday didn’t get the subtext, but before she could ask for clarification, Enid slumped defeatedly. She whined and made puppy eyes at Yoko, but she was back to staring at nothing. Enid didn't mind.
“Yoko, I can’t go back to my family, not now!” Wednesday furrowed her brows in confusion. Enid had wolfed out, exactly what she was supposed to do. Wouldn’t now be the most optimal time?
“It’s not like the alternative is much better, pup” Bianca joined the one-sided conversation without opening her eyes “Who knows what kind of lodging Wheems will be able to provide with such short notice and to such a delightful bunch?” She wasn’t wrong.
“hmn” was all Yoko offered
Enid whined again and let her forehead fall on Yoko’s shoulder with a little too much force before murmuring a soft 'ouch'. Wednesday shifted on her feet uncomfortably, crossing and uncrossing her arms, unsure of how to proceed in the unusual position of feeling empathy. She tried to roll the words over in her mind, looking for the best way to word such preposterous feelings.
She was a bit too late to notice Divina eyeing her dreamily, laughing quietly. Fortunately, nobody caught the exchange. Divina giggled and pretended to zip her mouth shut.
Eventually, the group made their way to the dining hall, where the usual excited murmur of students was replaced by the low rumble of collective complaint.
They had breakfast without much conversation, Enid trying to stay awake long enough to take the next bite, Yoko and Divina slouching against each other still in their haze, and Bianca biting her bagel like it had offended her personally. Wednesday nibbled distractedly on a piece of toast drizzled with hot honey, - hoping the combination would return some of the warmth that kept leaking from her bones like she was still bleeding from crackstone’s strike - it didn’t work.
eventually plates were cleaned, and Enid had opted to slouch against Wednesday this time, her radiator heat emanating like waves; Wednesday thought she might be finally going insane. It would be justifiable after last night’s events. She should be recoiling, removing her body before Enid could as much as near her, but there she was, sitting still, not to disturb the blonde snoring quietly. Much to her dismay, she had to actually wrestle her mind to stop her hand from brushing the strands that had covered Enid’s face.
when bianca finally stood to the notes of ‘well guess we better pack’ enid startled for a moment - taking her surroundings, and blushing wildly when she realized what she had been doing - before she could stop herself wednesday stood to and spoke, she didn’t hear her own words, too distracted by the evolution of enids blush (how could such a tiny creature contain such a multitute of colours?)
“What?”
Wednesday finally peeled her eyes from crimson cheeks to eye Bianca with all the annoyance she could muster
“I said you are all formally invited to stay at the Adams manor until the situation is resolved.” what
Wednesday couldn’t believe her own words, couldn’t remember making the decision to say them. For a moment, she wondered if she might be possessed.
It wouldn’t be the first time, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, but it wasn’t usually so degrading. Yoko was grinning maniacally, seemingly choosing this moment to return to the land of the living, looking like she had just won the lottery. She risked a glance at Enid, who managed to look an even darker tone of red than before.
“Uh- that- that’s really nice Wends, but we couldn’t invade your space like that,” she finally mustered, and Wednesday was very proud considering how red she was
“nonse” she said with as much finality as she could muster “I won’t risk sending you off to some subpar accommodation just to have you return with bedbugs” enid changed to yet another tone of red as her face contored in offence “we do share… living quarters after all” wednesday had to stop herself when the word bed almost slipped with the utmost naturality from her lips.
All signs kept pointing to possession, but instead of lying in the middle of a pentagram like usual, she pressed on, turning to address the rest of the group.
“My family would be more than pleased to have such a distraught group of freaks under their roof again”
“Haha” Bianca tried to reply, but Yoko shushed her with a wave.
“Shut up, Barclay! Yes, Addams, the answer is absolutely yes, how kind of you to offer!” The smile kept growing impossibly wilder, and now Wednesday wondered if she wasn’t the only one who’d been possessed. On her peripherals, she saw a glimpse of Enid’s pleading expression, and Yoko shushed her too.
“When do we leave?”
“I’ll have to call home and arrange the details, but I believe Lurch could be here by lunchtime tomorrow.”
“Perfect! Still time for a bonfire,” Yoko pointed to wednesday and Enid “You losers meet us behind the toolshed at ten and bring your own booze this time or I swear to god-” Yoko got cut off when divina stood up walking out without goodbyes, yoko followed her before turning to make obscene hand gestures at Enid that still weren’t on wednesday new teenage lexicon.
Bianca rolled her eyes on her way out with a weak ‘later losers’ that didn’t have any bite.
When Wednesday finally mustered the courage to look back at Enid, bracing for the outright rejection she was sure was coming, instead, she found the girl wringing her hands on her lap nervously, and when their eyes met, she almost drowned in an ocean of blue. She was ready to jump off a cliff, carve her own heart out of her chest, and give it to Enid in hopes hers wouldn’t hurt anymore.
“Did you offer because you feel sorry for me?” Enid's voice shook with unshed tears, despite them Wednesday could feel the cool bite of unbridled anger in those words that made her shiver straight through her bones, “be honest.”
She furrowed her brows in confusion ‘was everyone possessed?’ she felt herself move, dragged by a magnetic curiosity urging her to inspect the tears closer. she could see enid trying not to shrink under her gaze, she puffed her chest trying to present as more of a challenge and it would have had a bigger effect if she wasn’t still sitting down and worrying her lower lip between her teeth so it wouldn’t tremble. She lifted her head and met Wednesday’s gaze anyway; her fingers ached.
“I know of no such thing as pity, Sinclair” she said, voice coming out darker and angrier than intended “small and weak things need pity. you are neither. I’ll never be able to repay what you did for me last night… but i wish to spend the rest of whatever miserable time I have left trying” she finally lost the battle with her body and her treacherous hand moved to hold enid’s face with a gentleness she didn’t know she possessed, thumb swimping useslessly at the fast drying tracks. “You mustn’t come if you don’t wish to do so.” Her voice came out a lot smaller than she intended this time.
She could feel Enid’s skin heating under her thumb as the blush crept back into place; it was even more fascinating up close. She found herself craving for a world where it would never leave, painting the werewolf in her favorite color for eternity.
“I just don’t want you to pity me.” Enid’s voice also came out small, nearly breathless.
“I would never,” she replied honestly.
.
The rest of the afternoon passed by without much incident as Enid tried her best - and failed miserably - at keeping her cool.
She was so going to kill Yoko. For sure, the Addamses would have some kind of vampire spray she could punish her best friend with.
She spent the whole afternoon going over all the late nights she had spent babbling to Yoko about Wednesday. She wasn’t stupid; she knew she was in trouble. She was the tragic gay trope of falling head over heels - and totally unrequitedly - with her totally uninterested roommate. It was tragic even by her standards.
In her defense, she really tried. She tried so very hard. She kissed boys, went to parties, pored over social media, anything to distract her from the sociopath next door - she succeeded as much as when she tried to quit sweets for a week. But it was so difficult when Wednesday’s smell lingered and followed everywhere she went, like she was being haunted by a ghost. It would happen in the most unfortunate moments too; halfway through answering a question in class, she would get a whiff of smoky oak, making her choke through a reply, to a questioning look from Yoko. In the middle of a makeout session with Ajax, she would get a hint of the beeswax lip balm she had stolen when Wednesday wasn’t looking, her brain conjuring the most sinful and unhelpful thoughts.
‘Is that one of those lip plumper thingies? my lips are tingling.' Ajax had laughed. ‘No’ Enid wanted to say, she wanted to brag about stealing from the Wednesday Addams, she wanted to brag about how her crazy roommate actually infused the dam thing with bee poison, to slowly build an immunity. Except she wanted to rip the word that came before mate and sink herself, teeth, claws, and everything on the second, roll it over her tongue like Wednesday did with the scorpion candies grandmama sent in the mail.
Instead, she had laughed and kissed him again, pretending she wasn’t pretending he was someone else. Someone who’d actually reel at the tingling lips she could barely feel anymore, maybe she was also building an immunity; she just wished she could build one against a certain Adams.
It got worse at night, when her breathing would get so low and quiet, Enid’s wolf would trash and whine with concern while she tried to tell it to ‘shut up, you stupid beast, she’s just sleeping’ but it fought, trying to convince her to go check. She could also get a whiff, where the smoky scent would mingle with the soft tones of fabric softener, much like Wednesday when she slept, when her glare would finally melt into something softer, finally giving her brows a rest. Enid ached to kiss just above that spot, where her muscles worked so hard to make sure people were properly terrified of her, and tell her what a good job she was doing of making everybody tremble and how proud-
It was pathetic.
Of course, she had to be the reason for Enid to finally wolf out. It was just like her to receive such a giant pile of shit from life. On one hand, she was flooded with relief; it felt freeing to finally let the beast out. to fight for something with teeth and claws, to win. On the other hand, she was terrified of what it all meant.
She knew she couldn’t go back home like this. Her mother would smell the bullshit from a mile away, years and years of doctors and therapy just for her to wolf out on a random weekday to fight a Hyde of all things. ‘I know you’re not a fighter, Enid’ she could practically hear her mother’s cold tone. No, going home was out of the question, but volunteering to stay with a whole pack of Addams seemed like a much riskier choice. There was no way she would escape this without humiliating herself so hard it would be visible from a space station.
She knew very little of what to expect from Wednesday’s family, apart from a few short interactions and Wednesday's very hard-to-read, standoffish comments; she had nothing to work with, which, as the queen of gossip, was killing her. Would they hate her? Would they spray her with fire retardant to stop her colors from spontaneously combusting their expensive decor?
Enid tried to stop the spiral. Despite their wildly different personalities, Enid had never felt so quickly accepted by someone. Most people in her life made her work for affection, knowing she was just too ready to give; even Yoko, in the beginning, had given her a run for her money in the friendship department. Sure, Wednesday disliked the colors and the K-pop, but she was always honest, if not a little blunt. Enid never had to wonder whether she was faking it because Wednesday Addams never cared about anything enough to fake it. In short, they worked. Enid’s quiet chaos and Wednesday’s loud silence. They coexisted so well that sometimes Enid forgot it had only been a few months.
“Your thoughts are really loud, Sainclair” she suddenly broke the silence and enid almost broke her neck with how fast she turned, she forgot the subject of her wandering mind was present, and watching. she tried and failed to fight the blush she had been fighting all day, either wolfing out made her more prone to humiliating herself or waking up with wednesday in her arms had finally broken her.
“Uh- I’m actually kinda nervous about meeting your family” she laughed awkwardly, returning to what she had been doing - folding her sweaters, apparently.
“please” Enid could almost hear the roll of her eyes “my family is nothing but a bunch of loveblind baffoons and grandmama, there are much more relevant things to worry about, like the ghosts in the attic” Enid turned wided eyed, ready to protest, and nearly fell when she came face to face with the raven, damn those tiny quiet feet. Enid tried her best to school her heart and stop her eyes from drifting below the nose covered with freckles, almost going cross-eyed with the effort.
“You’re blushing a lot today,” she said matter-of-factly. She was staring too, a little too low to be examining the blush like she did earlier.
“hmm” Enid tried to control her breathing “S’probably the wolf” she shrugged, trying to sell the lie.
“do you feel different?” enid bit her lip trying to think about it and it was wednesday time to go cross eyed, enid knew she was admiring the canines, enid tried to feel them better with the tip of tongue and couldn’t hold her laugh at the face wednesday pulled, they felt a little sharper today and ached like she needed to sink them into -something.
“You can touch if you want” she tried timidly, and Wednesday’s eyes returned to her with a suspicious look. “I won’t bite” she added with a smile. She seemed to weigh it, and Enid almost thought she looked disappointed.
Before she could make a comment that would earn her the doghouse, Wednesday slowly brought her hand up, almost like she was fighting the urge to do so and losing miserably, like she did at the breakfast table. When her fingers finally reached Enid's blazing skin, she held her breath in lieu of embarrassing herself.
She always thought Wednesday would be rough, but her fingers were so soft and touched her so tenderly that it made the fire it left behind even more consuming. It felt like the lip balm, and in a feverish thought, she wondered - if she doused herself in poison, would Wednesday finally touch her like she needed? -
She was biting her lower lip again, trying to hold everything she was so afraid to show, until Wednesday's icy thumb reached its destination, popping it free with the breath she had been holding. Was she bleeding? She risked a look at the brunette, and the last time she had seen her so enraptured by something, there had been a full murder board involved. She was holding her thumb over where Enid could feel the skin tingling with pain, wearing that adorable frown Enid desperately wanted to kiss
When the pain subsided, Wednesday moved her thumb carefully, tracing Enid’s left canines, brushing her lips gently in the process. Enid couldn’t help the shiver at the feeling of exposing such a part of herself. But this was Wednesday, she would never recoil at a little teeth and claws. She half expected Wednesday to make fun of her, to call her needy and leave her a pathetic mess on the floor.
“Magnificent” she whispered with a reverence Enid didn’t think she deserved
The moment was broken before Enid could shed the tears that had pooled in her eyes when Yoko all but kicked down their door, barreling in holding not one but four bottles of the ridiculously expensive scotch she kept stashed for special occasions. Wednesday had jumped like a cat to put Enid behind her the moment Yoko’s foot hit the door. Enid used the unwelcome distraction to wipe the tears discreetly.
“Who wants to get- oh weird vibes here” Yoko said once her foot was back on the floor, wrinkling her nose at them.
Enid could see Wednesday’s glare even with her back turned, and that finally broke her sour mood a little. Her laugh made Wednesday relax too, finally getting out of her defensive position
“Have you ever heard of knocking, Tanaka? Most civilized people cherish the concept”
“HA!” the vampire actually threw her head back with delight, “you’re gonna have to do so much worse than that now that everyone knows what a softie you are, Addams”
“I have plenty of stakes at home if words fail me”
“Actually a myth,” Yoko said, gesticulating with the bottles in hand “You better upgrade your library or, you know, get a phone and use Google like every other person on the planet”
Wednesday didn’t reply immediately, so Enid chose that moment to intervene before Wednesday took back her offer, and she ended up with bedbugs.
“Yoko, shut up! I taught you how to use a phone”
The vampire’s smile turned upside down.
“You give everything to your children-”
“yeah, yeah, spare me” Enid started shoving her in the direction of the door. “I already get enough of that from my real mother”
“You go ahead,” Wednesday interrupted before they kept bickering, “I have to call my parents, I’ll meet you soon.”
Enid did her best to stop the puppy eyes, but they were out before she could control them. Wednesday gave a tiny eyeroll before closing the door gently.
.
When the door closed, she could still feel her heartbeat humming wildly in her ear. She stared at her hands, treacherous little things. She wondered if there was such a thing as possessed hands, certainly if the thing was any indication. But then again, it wasn’t only her hands. Her whole boldly trembled at the sight of the fangs; the magnetic pull from earlier increased tenfold, urging her to inspect.
What a contrast she was. such deadly weapons wrapped cutely under lips so soft they could only be a product of her quickly decaying psyche. Then there was the blood, something that would usually make her soar with excitement instead pulled at the ends of her mind with a need to soothe, to care for, to tast-
She shook her head, hoping the thoughts would somehow fall off. She moved to her desk with determination, for something to focus her wandering mind on. Her mother appeared on the crystal ball after a few seconds, eyes overflowing with tears, and Wednesday rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. At least some things were still normal, she thought with a little relief.
Oh dear, what a sore for rested eyes, it’s so good to see you”
“My little viper!” her father popped out from the background, summoned by Morticia’s tears, no doubt “We are so proud of you”
“So you’ve heard”
“I had a wonderful vision,” her mother said, drying the tears with the handkerchief Gomez offered. Wednesday froze. The hug. She glared at her mother as hard as she could, “but Larissa called earlier and filled us in, what a thrilling night!” she said, changing the subject swiftly.
“hmm” she offered, for some strange reason the night hadn’t felt that thrilling “in lieu of the events the academy will be closed. I need lurch to come tomorrow, please inform him ill be at the gates at lunchtime” her parents beamed and wednesday hated that she was about to improve their moods even more “I will also be bringing… guests” she shifted as her mother nearly vibrated with excitement.
“Oh dear! What dreadful news!” She clasped her hands, and her father immediately left to start preparations, no doubt
“I’ll write you a list of the necessary accommodations. Is the family coming for the solstice?”
“Oh, certainly!” her mother beamed with the realization that there would be even more guests than anticipated for the annual winter gala.
“Excellent, please write to the family in Vermont and see if they might be inclined to make the trip this year.” She hesitated; she knew this would be gasoline to her mother’s fire, but Enid was more important than her mother’s lack of respect for boundaries. “There’s someone I would like them to meet”
Morticia’s smile widened, but she offered no comment.
“Of course, dear, I’m sure I can persuade them. Agatha does owe me a favour after I helped her great-grandma move on.”
Wednesday felt herself relax a little. If Enid’s pack wouldn’t pull their heads out of their furry asses, Wednesday would forge her her own pack with her bare hands if she had to.
“You look well, dear.” Wednesday knew she was a little paler than usual, even she wasn’t immune to blood loss after all. “We are so very proud of you and can’t wait to hear all the gruesome details soon,” she smiled, and Wednesday didn’t have to fight the urge to roll her eyes this time.
“I’ll let you be, I’m sure you have much to do, and your father is already climbing the walls with excitement.”
“I’ll see you soon.” Wednesday replied, and her mother beamed in the fading fog.
Wednesday made quick work of the preparation list. There wasn’t much to be done; they’d certainly have more than enough blood for the vampires, and the sauna by the lake was usually running 24/7 this time of the year, so Bianca wouldn’t have to freeze to death.
The winter ball was a month away, she wondered if the school would be closed for that long, but then again, considering how many murders Thornhill had committed and how slow normies worked, it might as well be closed forever.
She wondered if she should write to the family in Vermont personally. After what Enid did for her, risking her life after her first transformation, she deserved a real experience with a real pack, not people who just tolerated her, but people who saw her for what she truly was: an unstoppable force.
Wednesday folded the list and inserted it in the black envelope, then opened it back up to check that it was gone. It would reaper at her mother’s desk in the matching envelope in the manor, ‘oh it’s like the addams versions of whatsapp’ enid had said once, then showed her the wretched little thing that, turns out, was the source of the incessant insip noise plaguing everyone’s phones. she had declared it an enemy outright and said that their method didn’t involve boring holes in people’s ears, Enid laughed like that was really funny to her specifically.
Eventually, she persuaded Enid to silence the damned thing after she was done laughing at Wednesday’s pronunciation of the name. What’s an app, even the name mocked her, she knew it was an app, she was familiar with basic programming and web development after all, robbing banks nowadays unfortunately involved such things. She tried to argue, but everything she said spun Enid further, so she eventually just got up and tossed the damn device across the room, making sure it would land somewhere soft. She tried to ignore the fact that if it were anyone else, she would have smashed the nightmare box into a million little pieces.
wednesday groaned as she felt the sickness spread over again, that godforsaken warmth kep seeping from her bones, dissipating into the cold empy room no matter how hard she held herself trying to keep it in. it was revolting, she didn’t cherish warmth, she was Wednesday Addams, cold like a cadaver on a hot summer’s day, inside and out, but now that she’d had a taste of it her head was swimming with the aftereffects. It was intoxicating, more than any alcohol grandmama could brew, or any poison she had tried in her life. The comedown was even more brutal, worse than the headache she felt after having too much of the old hag’s moonshine on her eighteenth birthday - she’d waken up six feet up in a tree, half naked, still clutching the bottle -
Truly, it was everything she was looking for all those times she microdosed death; her stomach lurched with an unfamiliar anxiousness, like she was about to jump from he highest precipice she had attempted yet, like jumping at the bottomless pit in their backyard when they were kids and just falling for hours.
She got up suddenly; she’d done enough dwelling for a lifetime, so she willed one step after the other, possession or no possession, let herself be taken to the only place she would ever want to be.