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Honestly, Enid was glad the school year was over. After a disastrous and taxing rollercoaster of a social life followed immediately by a centuries old white supremacist returning from the dead thirsting for genocide and a violent transition into her own as a fully fledged werewolf only to immediately fight for her life against a rampaging Hyde, she was ready for some relative peace and quiet on the sunny beaches of California. She was excited to return to her brightly furnished room at home with the rest of her stuffed animal collection, see her youngest siblings, and soak in the sweet summer rays while exploring the ever changing streets of her hometown, but the cons weighed heavily on her as well. Being home meant being unable to avoid the increasing expectations of her family (No mom, I'm not competing in the werewolf games at the family picnic. Because I don't enjoy rolling around in the mud and ripping the heads off wild animals, that's why !), being away from her motley crew of friends, and…well, not being able to see her for an entire summer.
Enid looked around her attic double. Her side of the room was still, frankly, a wreck. It seemed that no matter how much she stuffed into her steamer trunks, there was another stack of jackets or an unreasonably warm quilt to pack away. Wednesday’s side of the room was, in all ways, the opposite. Her luggage was uniformly stacked by her bed, as neat and composed as she was. Where Enid’s side was still draped with every color of the rainbow, Wednesday’s sparse, monochromatic decorations were cleared from every surface she had deemed worthy of their placement. Enid hadn’t even seen her pack. It seemed as if overnight her roommate simply evaporated, leaving only a few trunks and boxes as condensation. Even Thing was noticeably absent. Though she hadn’t caught onto this being the reason why, Enid’s departure from Nevermore was considerably hampered by the distress of Wednesday possibly leaving without saying goodbye. Had she already been picked up, leaving her things to be collected by her odd, zombie-esq butler ? Sure, she had slept in till 11, but after all they’d been through this year Enid thought she meant a little more to her misanthropic roommate.
“I don’t even know if she wants to fill out next year’s housing form together…” She muttered sadly to a stuffed unicorn, holding it by its little chubby cheeks.
“It’s okay Enid” She said in a ridiculous voice, bouncing the doll around as if alive. “You know how she is. I bet she left you a trail of clues to solve that will spell out how she feels about you in no unclear terms”
She scoffed, packing the unicorn away. ‘No unclear terms’ was clearly a sin in the Addams’ household. Wednesday’s vernacular was strictly Victorian-era serial killer. Everything she said was a cutting remark, a blade made of dictionary definitions and honed with 16 years of sarcasm. She had seen teachers and peers alike grow increasingly frustrated while verbally fencing with her, and as someone who valued honesty, as someone who valued kindness, as someone who valued integrity…
…well, she was unwittingly enamored by it. When she had looked up “indelible” in the dictionary, she spent that whole night staring at the ceiling, listening to Wednesday’s nearly imperceptible breathing, thinking about it. Thinking about her. The mark you have left on me is indelible. God, she couldn’t have dreamed of better poetry.
Which is perhaps why she felt so miserable that she was missing. That and the fact that if she didn’t see Wednesday soon, they wouldn’t see each other for months. Wednesday didn’t even have a phone, so they wouldn’t be able to text or call or facetime, and Enid wouldn’t be able to stalk her on instagram or anything !
She uses her typewriter a lot though. You could send each other letters, sealed with wax and a kiss, like sappho and her friend~
Enid shook her head, clearing the blush she felt rising to her cheeks and stuffing some skirts and leggings into her already cramped trunks. It would probably fit better if she folded them, but she was in no mood, dammit !
She had fully dismantled her decorations and almost finished packing the last of her clothes when she heard the door open and quickly shut behind her. She whipped around and was quite surprised to see no one there until her eyes drifted down and she spotted Thing tapping happily on the floorboards.
“Oh. My. GOD.” She squealed at the sight of him. He was wearing the cutest little delivery man hat, perfectly adorned on his wrist-stump, and had several silver rings on his fingers. Around his wrist was a small card on a gold ribbon. Enid got down low on her haunches as he scampered up to her, tapping out his message.
“A delivery ? for me ??” Enid could barely contain her delight at the little man’s cute outfit, but brought herself to her senses when he (with great difficulty) tapped the card tied to him. She carefully removed it and flipped it over.
To Enid Sinclair: May these flowers remind you of the death and destruction we caused together as they wilt and die despite whatever futile attempts are made to preserve them.
-Wednesday Friday Addams
“Flowers !?” Enid scanned around eagerly for Thing’s delivery, but he tapped furiously on the ground to reclaim her attention and pointed at the door. She could barely contain herself as she rushed across the room and yanked open the door, expecting a little arrangement placed on the ground. Instead, she found herself looking at a very familiar pair of black platforms. She followed them up until they all but disappeared behind an enormous vase filled with a carefully crafted bouquet. Alternating black and white flowers of a species which she could not name encircled a marvelous center of pink roses. Hidden behind the spectacle came a beautifully monotone voice.
“We would have been more timely, but Thing insisted on getting dressed up.”
Enid was visibly shaking. She carefully took the vase from the pale hands that carried it, revealing Wednesday Addams, looking anywhere except for at Enid. She was speechless as she stepped to the side, allowing her thematic opposite to enter the room. They stood like that, a few feet apart in silence, for several agonizing seconds. Finally, Wednesday looked up from the floor.
“You are crying. Why ? I thought you liked…stuff like this.”
Enid shook her head, setting the flowers down and wiping the long sleeves of her thneed-like sweater across her eyes.
“I do, I do, I swear, I just…” She petered out with a sniffle, overcome with a slurry of emotions.
Not only had Wednesday Addams not left her behind, she got Enid a present. Not only did she get her a present, she got her a present she thought Enid would like. Not only did she think Enid would like it, it was a beautiful bouquet of subtext laden flowers. Enid felt like she was going to explode.
“I can get different ones, I'm sure the florist is still suitably threatened. I can be back within the hour. Don’t leave.”
Wednesday turned on her heel for the door, but Enid caught her wrist as she reached for the knob.
“No ! No please, just let me get my shit together. I…I love them so much, you don’t even know.” She let out a wet laugh, getting choked up on the last several months of pining. Wednesday looked up down at the hand holding her wrist, then up at the blonde. Her eyes were impossible to meet, but Enid did it anyway. They were absolutely gorgeous, and she could swear that she could see the cogs turning in Wednesday’s head as she tried to navigate such a deeply human interaction.
“Would…would it, perchance, be helpful, if…” Wednesday let out a little sigh, steeling herself. “Would you. Like a hug. From me.”
Enid nodded furiously, nearly bursting out in tears once more. She literally couldn't even as she draped her arms around the shorter girl’s shoulders and squeezed. Wednesday was stiff in her embrace, her arms awkwardly placed around Enid’s back, but she relaxed as the hug lengthened. Enid could feel Wednesday press her face into her chest, resting her forehead on Enid’s shoulder, and those pale hands found purchase in the fuzzy pink sweater. This time, there was no blood. No open wounds from knives or claws. No adrenaline from defying death. No spectating masses. Just them.
“Okay that’s enough.”
They separated. Enid took a respectful step back, but found that Wednesday had let her hand retain its grip on Enid’s.
“Thank you Wednesday, this really means a lot to me.”
Wednesday looked uncomfortable, looking at the ground once more, scanning for something to focus on. Enid could only look at her with the softest of smiles.
“You…don’t have to hold my hand if you don’t want to. I’m okay, really, just moved.”
“No.” Wednesday said stiffly. “I want to want this. This is both research and experimentation, and I’ve already procrastinated it long enough, so this is what we’re doing. For now.”
Enid couldn’t help but laugh at her determination. Her hand was honestly cold and a little clammy, but it was a nice, sincere sort of clammy.
“Well I like it. A lot, actually. But there’s no rush, yaknow. We could just sorta take it slow, see what works ?”
Wednesday took a step forward, leashing Enid closer with what quickly became an iron grip. It felt like Enid blinked and Wednesday had closed the gap between them, looking up at her with those stupid, beautiful, inquiring eyes. They were scanning her, reading every inch of Enid’s face as she quickly became a bright red. With her other hand, Wednesday reached up and traced the scars on her face from her fight with the Hyde. The fight to protect her.
“Right. Slow.”
Enid was going to faint. In a matter of minutes she had gone from believing she was but a memory Wednesday had left behind to kissing her softly in the room they had shared all year. It felt as though the clouds had parted and a beam of celestial light was shining on them through the spider webbed window at the other end of the room. Time stood still, not daring to interrupt the inscrutable Wednesday Addams as she explored this unknown territory, and yet it was still over too soon.
“Interesting.” She said as she came down off her tiptoes. Enid was downright woozy as Wednesday no longer anchored her to the spot.
“Jeepers…” She said dreamily. After kissing someone who regularly used chapstick, it made sense why her kisses with Ajax had needed so much extra spice. She regained her footing, if not her composure, and addressed the Addams.
“So, does this mean- HEY”
Wednesday was writing something down in a black leather notebook. Enid planted her fists firmly on her hips, taking on a scolding tone that was a little too much like her mothers.
“Are you taking NOTES !? Do NOT tell me this was just for your book !”
Wednesday snapped the notebook shut, wrapping the elastic around it to keep it closed.
“Of course I'm taking notes. What part of research and experimentation was unclear. And it’s obviously not for my book, Viper would never be as easily distracted by a love interest.”
Enid was about to fire back a retort, but something tripped her up.
“Love interest ?”
Wednesday nodded and took a slip of paper from her pocket. She handed it to Enid, revealing her new phone number.
“If that is what you would like to be.”