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Wednesday watches as her disgustingly sweet roommate tucks a colored strand of hair behind her ear practically running out of Nevermore’s large dining hall, leaving a discarded nearly full tray behind at the table next to her. Good, he tries to tell himself, he won’t have to deal with her waves and smiles shot in his direction. She breathes a sigh of relief, finishing her lunch before deciding to head back to her and Enid’s shared room.
Forgetting to knock on the heavy door, he shoves it open, preparing to grab his things for his next class. She’s surprised to find her usually bubbly roommate curled up crying on her bed with all of the lights off. The tip of her beloved grubby stuffed cat’s tail is in her mouth and she’s wearing a bright pink pair of noise cancelling headphones. “Oh…” Wednesday says without thinking. Usually he takes pleasure in pain but he feels surprisingly upset having walked in on Enid in such a vulnerable state.
Enid’s head whips up as she swipes away at her tears. She sniffles, unable to meet her roommate's eye, covering her face with her scruffy cat. “Oh…” says Enid this time. The blonde’s voice sounds soft and a bit… babyish. Wednesday stands awkwardly unsure of what to do.
“Enid… Are- are you… okay?” she asks slowly, shifting uncomfortably. He doesn’t like dealing with his own emotions but other people’s? That’s near the top of her list of Things to Avoid at All Costs. Enid flicks her fingers, eyes squeezed shut as she slowly rocks herself back and forth, not responding.
“What happened, Sinclair?” he tries again.
“Mmmmm,” Enid hums. “‘s too bright ‘n t’ere. Loud too. Too much.” Wednesday nods, surprised to realize she understands the way her roommate is feeling. If it weren’t for things like her own headphones or the texture of her chosen clothes, he often gets overwhelmed too, sometimes shutting down or being unable to interact properly with those around him. As for the babyish way Enid is talking, she’s embarrassed thinking about the fact that she knows how that feels as well…
“Oh… Um… I think I understand. I’m sorry you are feeling like that…” She takes a step closer to Enid’s bed, noticing she’s dropped her well-worn cat. Picking it up, he grimaces at its crusty texture, shaking his empty hand. Still he hands it out to Enid a bit awkwardly, flicking the fingers of his free hand in an attempt to distract himself from the texture of the cat. Enid slowly pulls her headphones down to acknowledge Wednesday.
Although her voice is flat and she has trouble meeting her roommate’s eyes, Wednesday attempts to put on a comforting smile though he’s fairly certain it just looks creepy - he’s not used to smiling especially not around those he barely knows. “Hey, Sinclair. What is your cat’s name?” she starts softly, not used to being the one providing the comfort for someone who is mentally regressed, especially not someone like Enid.
Enid hums, snatching the pink cat from the raven haired person before leaning against Wednesday who awkwardly tenses up at the unexpected touch. “Mmm, dunno! Enid jus’ calls him kitty.” Enid frowns. She seems to notice Wednesday’s tense body, quickly moving away from him. “‘m sorry. Someti’es Enid don’ wanna be touched neither…”
Wednesday can’t help but crack a real smile at this- Enid is so thoughtful… “That’s okay, Sinclair.” Enid looks away for a minute, mumbling as she puts the cat up to her face.
“Wends help name kitty?” Wednesday’s stomach twists at the nickname, looking back at Enid looking hopefully up at her. An unusual motherlike feeling comes over him.
“If you want me too, niñita.” Enid blushes, flapping her hands a few times. Cringing before the words are even out of her mouth Wednesday suggests a name: Bella. “Like T’ilight?” Enid giggles and Wednesday rolls his eyes.
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve seen you reading those… books,” there is a trace of disgust in his voice but his eyes flash playfully. Enid whines, flushing bright red.
“You gotta read ‘em at least once, Wends,” she humphs. She thinks for a moment, head cocked, eyes focused on the cat stuffed animal. “Enid likes Bel’a. How do we kn’w kitty like it though?” It takes Wednesday a minute to realize it is a genuine question after Enid tugs on her sleeve, repeating the question.
“Why don’t we ask them, silly?” Wednesday takes the plushie from the blonde’s hands gently, trying to focus on anything but the grimy texture of the animal. “Hello, Enid’s cat. How do you feel about the name, Bella?” He puts the cat up to his ear, nodding his head after a few seconds. “Well, what do you know, Sinclair? Bella likes it!”
Enid grins, taking back Bella and hugging him to her chest.
“Enid lov’s it! T’ank you Wends!” She nudges Wednesday’s arm with her head affectionately, just as the bell rings signalling the start of the next class. Enid tenses up. “Mmmmm,” she whines, slipping her headphones back over her ears. Tears well up in her eyes and she curls back up into a ball, the excitement of naming Bella already past.
Gently, Wednesday touches Enid’s shoulder and the regressed girl looks up, twitching her neck a little in an attempt to get used to the touch. “Here, lobo pequeñito. How about I let the teacher know you’re not feeling well and need to rest.” Wednesday is surprised by the soft tone of his voice and how easily the pet name slipped out. Enid nods, wiping her tearstained cheek. Wednesday’s heart flutters… Oh no. She is most definitely not going soft… Just to prove this he narrows his eyes, speaking in a low voice. “If you tell a soul about this I’ll rip the heads off every one of your unicorns…”