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"You're into poems right?" Enid kicked her legs back and forth on her bed, Thing on her shoulder as she put her phone down. Wednesday was not having a good week, and if Enid (the most oblivious person around) could tell then anyone could. So she left her roommate alone at first like everyone else, space was what she needed, but Wednesday didn't get better.
And then days started to pass of Wednesday being out of it. She'd fall asleep in class, miss fencing, or drop her writing time to favor a long shower or her newly obtained habit of napping.
Enid was tired of giving her space and wanted to swoop in to help. She wanted to make the bad go away but Wednesday was so different and Enid was so new to seeing her for her. So she went to Thing, Wednesday's personal family companion. And he said
'Just kiss her already god'
Enid blushed then growled. "You are not helping, I would never do that and she'd skin me alive if I even got close to her right now and you know that!"
'Then don't get close' The hand approached Enid. He climbed up to her shoulder and squeezed it tightly before jumping off and onto the bed. 'Just talk'
Enid had thought about it. Wednesday loved to talk, it was her one and only sure fire way to communicate, even if she didn't communicate well. It was a way to coerce something out of her, a hint, a clue, the end to this insane game. But Wednesday didn't like gossip, didn't like to be interrupted, didn't like Enid's music taste....
What in the hell was Enid supposed to talk about?
She paced her dorm room thinking of ways to talk to Wednesday, ignoring how bad of a friend she had to be too blank on all areas Wednesday. But after one class shared with the girl, watching as she wrote poems upon poems in a small notebook the whole class, Enid had her trap.
"I am not into poems, I enjoy the literary art of deep meaning being meticulously placed on paper through beautifully hand picked words..." Wednesday grumbled from her bed, laying pin straight with arms crossed.
Enid chuckled. "Okay, you're into poetry."
Wednesday sighed and sat up. "So what if I am?" She stretched her arms out, her nap ruined by her outrageously loud and obnoxious roommate. "Do you have a problem with my love of writing? Does it offend you and your insipid ideals?"
Enid almost scoffed, the offensive and defensive language was not needed, but she knew Wednesday wasn't feeling the best and her walls were up. So instead of lashing back, Enid sat up as well and took a deep breath.
"What is your favorite one?"
Enid stood up, slowly stalking over towards Wednesday, passing the imaginary line that separates the room, the one they both respected beyond comprehension. She tip-toed to Wednesday's bed, climbing over the foot board and placing herself crisscross apple sauce at the end of Wednesday's mattress.
The girl tracked Enid's every step with an impenetrable glare, shifting herself to opposite Enid, crisscross apple sauce at the head of her bed. Thing scuttled over and splayed himself out in the middle.
Wednesday glared at Enid, but the girl only smiled softly. Enid was trying to read Wednesday, see if she had overstepped or misplaced her intuition. She was ready to bolt, ready to continue giving Wednesday space if only to give herself more time to find a plan. But Wednesday,
Wednesday was trying to bare the sun in her eyes. The glowing rays of love and unadulterated care. The understanding pinning her heart to a coffin and slamming it shut with too much delicacy. Wednesday wanted to rip it out and feed it to some dogs.
Wednesday wanted to disembowel herself, forget herself, wanted to run away and live as an enigma. She wanted the swarming tendrils of warmth to leave her brain, leave her arms and stomach. She wanted this soft mist of clouds in front of her, this meadow of broken flowers just for her to pick, the most brightly colored object of her affection, to never disappear.
Enid was the sun, and Wednesday was surely melting like wax. She could feel herself falling, hear the crashing waves below and before she could skewer her words and shove them to the deepest pits of her mind and heart, a name whisped from her lips.
"Icarus.."
Enid perked up, her smile falling slightly. "What?" She barely whispered back. Wednesday took a breath, replenishing her ever aching chest, and continued.
"The story of Icarus. A fateful one that has many poems surrounding it. It is my favorite and contains spin offs from some of my favorite writers..." She stated mater-of-factly.
Enid looked off into the distance for a second, coming back to look blankly at Wednesday. "I think I've heard of it, he's the one that flys with wax wings right?"
Wednesday hates that dumbed down summary Enid has to offer, but she nods her head slightly, understanding that Enid is simply trying to be involved. "Almost," Wednesday states, "It is the one where he falls with failed ambitions."
"Could you tell it to me? I want to know what you know." Enid stuck her hand out, lightly touching the back of Wednesday's hand on the bed, tracing the knuckles of her beloved roommate. Enid knew what was happening to her, after saving Wednesday from the Hyde that fateful night, things started to click into place. She just wished it would click for Wednesday too.
As Wednesday stared at Enid's hands, relishing in the warmth of her touch, she nodded. "Daedalus was a magnificent inventor, who created millions of crafts and gadgets for the people of Athens." Wednesday moved her hand to grab Enid's, rubbing her thumb over the back of it and mindlessly touching each finger.
"He was so famous, that the King of Crete, King Minos, sent for him and his son, Icarus, to visit his island." Enid listened intently, curling and uncurling her fingers for her roommate. "And King Minos told Daedalus, 'You will build me a maze, for a minotaur hunts me so'. And with promise of reward and help from his son, Daedalus did. Days and days of trial and error, he and Icarus had created an inescapable maze, trapping the poor beast.."
Wednesday took a breath, shaky and unstable she could lightly feel the burning in her throat as she looked up from Enid's hand. Enid was entranced by her mindless play, not noticing Wednesday staring. She continued anyway.
"King Minos laughed as Daedalus showed his creation, snapping his fingers and ordering the guard to take the inventor and his son to a holding cell. Daedalus cried, 'Why my King, why?' and King Minos replied, 'Your ingenuis is too valuable to let roam the world, you will stay with me and build for me only.'" Wednesday grasped Enid's wrist hard to emphasize herself, catching Enid off guard.
She looked up at Wednesday, gasping. Enid lifted her hand towards Wednesday's face, caressing her cheek slightly before reaching with her thumb to flick away a stray tear. Wednesday leaned into the touch, leaned into the sun, let it melt her and watched herself fall faster.
She continued. "For weeks Daedalus crafted for King Minos, wishing for a way back to Athens. Wishing for the freedom of his son if nothing else. But no help came." Wednesday lifted her free hand, cupping Enid's against her face.
"After days of wishing and wailing, Icarus approached his father. He sat next to the lowly man, staring into the abyss. And he spoke from his soul. 'My father' He whispered, 'you are such a great mind yet you let trivial problems crumble you to the ground. I am tired of this prison father, why won't you invent something to free us?' Icarus leaned his father to face him, with pleading eyes he hugged the man, and Daedalus wept for the last time. 'You are right my son' he heaved, 'I am doing no good for us like this.'"
Enid had scooted closer to Wednesday, hearing her voice waver and her breath stagger. Experimentally, Enid removed her hand from Wednesday's face and placed it over Wednesday's shoulder, giving her a firm squeeze, letting her hand rest idly on Wednesday. Carefully, Wednesday scooted closer as well. She leaned closer to Enid, begging that the dense girl would take the bait and not make her say anything to embarrass herself. But nonetheless, she continued.
"For weeks Daedalus pleaded with the King and his guards. 'Sir, you force an old man and his sickly son to create such vast plans for you,' Icarus coughed from his place behind the wooden chamber door, 'Please from the bottom of your heart, find the pity to bring us extra pillows and candles, the warmth and comfort will increase our speed!' He promised, and the King complied."
Enid began to lean into Wednesday now, a hand still in hers and one on her shoulder, she stilled with her forehead against Wednesday's. "Does this story have an end already?" Enid whispered and chuckled lightly. Wednesday almost smiled back.
"Daedalus crafted two pairs of wings from the feathers of the pillows and the wax of the candles. He taught Icarus night and day how to fly, and on the last day, as the sun rose from beyond the sea, Daedalus stood at the sill of their chamber window." Tears fell down Wednesday's face, and she silently cheered that Enid couldn't see them as her eyes were tightly shut. Thing had made himself scarce.
"He looked at his son with so much love and hope, and told the boy, 'Fly, Icarus' as he jumped and soared around the castle. Icarus, excited as he was, followed his father, flapping all over the sky as they journeyed across the sea back to Athens." Wednesday took a deep breath, lifting her head. Enid, startled, stared wide eyed at Wednesday before melting back into that caring look, and Wednesday tried her damnedest to get back the death stare she so harshly clung to. But to no avail, Wednesday simply laid herself down, waiting only a second for Enid to catch on and shift her position.
Wednesday's head snuggled tightly under Enid's chin, her hand still grasping and playing with Enid's as her other arm came up to drape around the girls neck. She continued quietly, feeling the warmth of her love radiate through her senses.
"Icarus, pent up from living in a castle, soared down towards the ocean. He dipped his wings left and right, trying desperately to play with waves. But his father gasped 'Icarus, do not fly so close to the sea, the spray of water and salt will ruin your wings! You will fall.' And with much sadness, Icarus spread his wings and soared higher. Up, up, into the sky, past his father and way above the clouds." Wednesday could feel sleep creeping through her nerves. She'd been a wreck the past few days after finally accepting her feelings, and sleep was not easy when the family curse she hated so much decided to pick the person she slept next to each night. Naps became a new norm, at any point in time Enid wasn't in the room, Wednesday crashed to her bed like she'd die standing up. She was desperate to sleep away the feelings, the days, the time. Desperate to skip to a time where Wednesday wasn't an Addams, and where the threat of heartbreak wouldn't end her. She wished and hoped, and oh how years of ignoring her feelings were failing right here and now.
But with a beating and bloody heart, and her mind at ease from telling such a simple children's story, the promise of sweet rest was almost too much. But Wednesday was determined to tell her love her most favorite story. And so she did. "Icarus's father called out again, 'Icarus, don't fly so high, the sun will melt your wings! You will fall.' But Icarus could no longer hear him, or chose not to listen. He had outstretched his arm, mindlessly hoping that he could grab the sun and cherish its warmth...." Wednesday moved her fingers away from Enid's for a split second before slotting them together with hers, holding her hand tightly. Enid was the sun Wednesday wished so hard to hold.
"But as his father foretold, just as Icarus felt the warmth of the sun hug him back, his wings melted, and he began to fall. Crashing into the ocean below, Daedalus raced to catch his boy, only just grabbing his body from the unforgiving depths of the water. With broken wings and little hope, Daedalus flew his boy all the way back to Athens, placing his body on the shore, forever facing the sun set, forever watching the warmth of the day disappear..."
Enid was silently sobbing now, clutching on to Wednesday's hand. She brought her free hand up to rub her eyes raw before leaning down and placing a kiss on Wednesday's head. "I'd never let you fall. No matter how close you get..."
Wednesday snorted a half chuckle, sucking up her feelings and shaking her inner core to sit still. "That's not the end, Enid." She sat up slightly, taking her turn to cup the crying girl's face. "What they don't tell you is how Icarus laughed as he fell. Threw his head back and yelled into the winds, he spread his arms wide and bared his teeth to the world." Wednesday slowly leaned in.
She clutched Enid's sweater and hand with so much force, trying to steady herself as her eyes drifted to the girl's lips. Her face was shining with stained tears, puffy eyes and rosy cheeks. Wednesday had only kissed one person before, but with a new found heart, Wednesday would give up just about anything to make this one last.
However, it was a short and chaste kiss as Wednesday pulled away. She moved to the side, whispering into Enid's cheek.
"There is a bitter triumph in crashing when I should be soaring...."
She kissed the girl's cheek, then the space right next to her eye, and then her forehead.
She continued the poem she held so close to her heart. "The wax scorched his skin-" She lifted their interlocked hands, opening her palm and making Enid do the same. The sizzle and pop that ran from her nerves to her brain to the rest of her cold body fired up as Enid went back to holding her hand. "-ran blazing trails down his back, his thighs, his ankles, his feet." Wednesday brought the bundle of hands to her chest, letting the other girl feel how her heart races in its empty cage, begging to be let out.
"Feathers floated like prayers past his fingers," As she held Enid's hand to her chest, she repositioned her other hand slowly, watching Enid's eyes as she placed an out stretched palm to the girl's chest, feeling her heart pound as well. "Just close enough to snatch back." She gripped her sweater tight again.
"Death breathed burning kisses against his shoulders, where the wings joined the harness." She released Enid's sweater and lifted her hand, pushing a stray band of hair out of the girls face, revealing scars so long and beautiful Wednesday could almost cry from their story.
"The sun painted everything in shades of gold." She kissed one of the scars.
"Wednesday...." Enid breathed, her mind hazy and heart coursing adrenaline through her finger tips. She looked into Wednesday's eyes, the tears making themselves unknown as that hardened gaze found its way back to her. Wednesday steeled her jaw and sat up straight, hand in hand with a person she wouldn't mind dying for, or worse, living for.
"I love you as Icarus loved the sun, Enid. Too close....too much."