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“Enid, kindly remove your arms from around my body before I remove them for you.”
It hadn’t been a planned hug, but Enid had waited two whole months to see her roomie again and sometimes a girl just had to get a hug in. But this was Wednesday, and as much as she heavily suspected that no bodily harm would ever come to her at the hands of the tiny goth, there was just enough doubt to incentivize her arms returning to her own space.
“Sorry.” She wasn’t sorry and Wednesday knew that, not that either of them would say as much, but that was just their dynamic. “I know not hugging is kinda our thing, but I missed you, roomie!”
Wednesday stared at her for a long moment, considering something, and then placed her hand on Enid’s shoulder for all of one and a half seconds, patting her once more as she removed it. “I must admit I found myself regretfully noting your absence in a less than pleasant manner as well. But do try to contain your affections.”
“Right.” She replied seriously, trying not to pout. There had been just a little smidge of hope, what after the whole clusterfuck just before break, that maybe, just maybe, the hug they’d shared would not be the last. Her optimism was a key element of her personality, a trait she very much loved about herself, thank you, but… it had lead to disappointment a few too many times. And despite knowing that her hopes here would probs be dashed, she hadn’t been able to let herself feel any other way.
Plus - the break had been long and her family life wasn’t exactly ripe with love, acceptance, and physical affection. Crushed by the unexpected breakup with Ajax two weeks in, she hadn’t even found the energy to visit Yoko and get her hugs in. So maybe she was a bit more touch starved than usual and if that meant her field of fucks to give was barren, then so be it. Worth trying for the hug at least. Even if it led to a measly pat instead. One small step for Wednesday Addams, one moderately sized disappointment for Enid Sinclair.
Just over two weeks into the semester she’d nervously pulled her bottom lip between grimacing teeth as Wednesday, once again, scolded her for being overly affectionate. Which was fair, she had hugged her again, sort of. If she had to fight it, which she wanted to just a bit, it wasn’t technically a hug, but close enough. But could Wednesday really blame her when she had landed a very coveted internship for an honest-to-gods real legit online magazine!? That was an actual big freakin deal, and excitement was only warranted. If she wanted to share that excitement with her friend and roomie, that was only to be expected, right? And if she got a little carried away then so what…
But Wednesday had pushed her away, not aggressively but also not kindly, and sent daggers into her heart. Well not actual daggers, but it kinda felt like it and that was just as bad. Geez, when did she get so sensitive to Wednesday’s rejections? She’d have to get a grip on that - right after she smoothed over this little roommate squabble.
“I’m soooorrrrry, okay? But maybe cut a girl some slack here? This is huge, Wends!”
“Don’t call me that.” Wednesday’s brow knit together but evened out quickly. “Despite your indiscretion, I do note your achievement, and commend your work.”
“You really mean it?” She asked as the earlier disappointment faded in favor of the warm rush of joy wafting in and around her chest.
“Don’t push it.” There was no real bite behind the response, made that much more clear as a hand reached out into the space between them.
Enid couldn’t help the giggle that slipped out. I mean, really, a handshake? What were they, forty-something year old business men? It was comical. Wednesday didn’t seem to think so though, her hand snapping back instantly, a slight blush coloring the freckles across the bridge of her nose. Oh, shit.
“Wait, Wednesday, I’m sorry.” She tried but her back was already turning on her. “Please, I’m really sorry! I want the handshake. Please come back! I’ll shake your hand. I’ll shake both of them. Give me something to shake and I’ll shake it, I promise! Look…”, she pleaded, shaking her own hand, “I love handshakes!”
Their already cold room iced over that much more as she was met with angry eyes and unexpected emotion. “I’ve clearly made a fool of myself. I’d prefer if we could just forget this ever happened.”
She really had stepped in it this time. It was so rare for Wednesday to be so open with her praise and she’d made a mockery of it. The warmth in her chest started to burn, each breath spreading into her lungs like an airy army of needles.
“No, you didn’t, and no we can’t. It just caught me off guard.” Carefully, she stepped over tapeline - actual tape long gone but residue clinging pathetically to the wood. It was a weird and uncomfortable sensation, feeling seen by dirty adhesive. Clingy, unwanted, an obnoxious mess just making things worse. “Wends, please, I’m really sorry!”
Her small frame froze before whipping around, dark eyes catching hers and locking on. “I told you not to call me that!”
She didn’t get a handshake but two days later upon her return to their shared room after class she found a neatly wrapped little parcel awaiting her on top of her desk. The little box beneath the wrapping held two new bottles of nail polish - a bright sparkly pink and a delicate baby blue. Hidden just underneath was a gift card for the Weathervane and lastly a typewritten note on card stock simply stating “For your next manicure with Thing. Please enjoy with a milkshake from the Weathervane. - W.A.” The apology was apparent but it took her a second to get the underlying joke. Manicure with Thing and a milkshake - a hand and a shake. Who ever said Wednesday Addams didn’t have a sense of humor?
With freshly painted nails - a killer color combo too, all thanks to Wednesday - she and Thing returned from their hangout sesh to find Wednesday sat at her desk, fingers steadily tapping away at keys, attention fully given over to her novel. Thing slid easily down from her shoulder to go do whatever it was he did with his time and she quietly crept over to deposit the quad she’d brought back on Wednesday’s desk. Normally she’d be one to thank her again for the gift, but Wednesday’s concentration hadn’t broken yet and she didn’t want to be the reason it did, so instead of a verbal thanks, she opted to lean down and press her lips against jet black hair before skipping back over to her side of the room. The gesture hadn’t even registered in her own head, these little displays not unusual between her and her larger group of friends. Thankfully, Wednesday suddenly stilled, sitting stiff and silent for three whole minutes before resuming her work, had also gone unnoticed by Enid. Some times it was best not to realize little missteps for sake of the ability to sleep through the night without running through yet another embarrassing moment. She had enough of those as it was.
She’d barely sat down with her lunch when Wednesday suddenly appeared next to the table looking uncharacteristically nervous. That certainly wasn’t a good sign.
“Okay, first things first,” she started, “is anyone dead or dismembered?”
“No.” Wednesday crossed her arms, brow furrowing stubbornly.
“Then why do you look like you just kicked someone’s puppy? Wait - you didn’t like kick a puppy or something did you?”
“Define puppy.”
Yoko turned around slowly to stare awkwardly at Wednesday. Before she could say anything snarky, Enid jumped in.
“Like a puppy. A small baby dog? Is there another meaning I don’t know about?”
Wednesday relaxed a little. “If we are constraining ‘puppy’ to just living juvenile canines, then no, I did not kick a puppy.”
Yoko managed to spit a retort of “oh, so just casually kicking dead dogs then Addams? That tracks. You’ve got that whole triad of psychopathy vibe going on,” before Enid could stop her.
Wednesday, smirked rather frighteningly Yoko’s way, but remained rooted beside Enid. “False. Any death I inflict is either necessary or at least humane - unless otherwise deserved, I gained full control over bodily functions from a very you age, and I’ve only committed arson twice, once of course being that affront of a statue in honor of that unkempt racist zealot in the town square and the other was entirely accidental thanks to Pugsley’s incompetence.”
“Yes, all of what you said is perfectly normal” Yoko replied with her own smirk as she turned back around to her lunch.
“Um, so… like, what exactly did happen then Wednesday?” Enid asked, not entirely put at ease by that rather unusual bit of TMI.
“Oh, I accidentally melted one of your animal companion facsimiles.” Her… what? The grimace on her face must have given her away as Wednesday quickly clarified. “Your stuffed animal, the one that I can only assume is meant to depict a dog, though it looks more like some sort of hallucinogenic induced fever dream interpretation of such. I accidentally spilled a rather strong acid and it ate through it… and part of the floorboards.”
She melted her stuffed animal? Melted!? Did that not count as arson because if not it certainly seemed quite arson-adjacent. Arson-esk if you will.
“I apologize for my error - I will of course replace the damaged item.” And then before Enid could process either the death of Mr. Butterbeans or the kiss Wednesday stiffly pressed onto the top of her head, her roommate disappeared from the quad entirely.
Slowly she turned back around towards the lunch she suddenly had very little interest in to find the entire table staring wide-eyed.
Ajax opened his mouth to say something but Kent blindly slapped a hand at his mouth, one finger poking him squarely in the eye. “Shhhh, shut up.”
Three hours later she entered their room to find Wednesday missing and a small white sheet placed over a smaller lump in the center of the room. Half-fearing what she’d find under it, she’d let it sit there until her curiosity wore her down. What little was left of Mr. Butterbeans certainly did not resemble him any longer
It was Thing’s fault, really, not that these things would matter very much when Wednesday would get back to find glitter all over her hoodie. The hoodie Enid hadn’t even gotten permission to wear, but it was COLD and Wednesday refused to set the heat any higher lest her morgue-temperature preference be disturbed, and all her warmer clothing was dirty, and Wednesday’s clothes looked so warm and comfy, and fuck she really was going to die a very slow and painful death because this glitter was impossible to deal with.
“What are you doing?” Wednesday asked with a bit more bite than usual.
“Shit! Can you like announce yourself or something?” Wednesday just stared back at her before glancing down at the hoodie still clutched in one hand and the roll of packing tape in the other. “Okay, so like don’t panic, but I might have sort of gotten just a teensy bit of glitter on your hoodie.”
She grimaced up at Wednesday waiting but nothing came.
“Aren’t you going to like yell or something?”
Wednesday kept staring. Enid thought that she might just die from the sheer penetrative power of that stare alone. Eventually though Wednesday finally replied.
“Enid. This… infestation… of glitter. Deal with it promptly and thoroughly or the next hoodie I get will be made from your flesh.”
In the end it took her so much fucking tape and like a whole two hours to get the glitter off. She contemplated just leaving it on Wednesday’s bed but decided it may be better to show her in case there was something she’d missed. Better to nip it in the bud now than face an even more enraged Wednesday later when her work was deemed unsatisfactory.
Enid stepped out their window to find the cello leaned back against Wednesday’s front as she flipped through sheets of music.
“I think I got it all.” She extended the garment out, Wednesday taking it before her to inspect. “I’m really sorry I took it without asking, and also that I got glitter all over it.”
Wednesday flipped it around, checking every square inch before handing it back to Enid.
“Would you return it to my closet?”
That’s it? No more anger or scolding or… death threats? She took it back and turned back towards the window, intent to do just as Wednesday asked.
“No kiss?”
To say the comment, said without a hint of context or emotion, caught her by surprise would be a rather drastic understatement. If Enid were being honest, which had anyone asked she would not have been, she almost fell directly on her face. “What!?”
Wednesday was just sat staring blankly at her as she twisted around again. Surely she heard her wrong.
“Last time you upset me you kissed my head. I assumed this was some sort of werewolf ritual - for apologies. Am I mistaken?”
Oh. OH. She HAD done that hadn’t she? And now Wednesday was… what exactly? Asking for a kiss? Surely no.
“Do… do you want me to?”
She wasn’t sure what answer she was wanting or expecting but it certainly wasn’t what she got.
“I found it not entirely unpleasant. You may continue the ritual if you wish.”
“It’s not a ritual, or like a werewolf thing.” It was just her, the everyday overly affectionate nature she clearly could not suppress even when she bothered to try.
Wednesday just shrugged. “Either way.”
So did it not matter? Was Wednesday still saying she was okay with it? Or indifferent? Or like, but totally not at all, wanting it? She resisted the urge to laugh at the bizarre situation.
Instead she stepped back into her roommate’s space and kissed the top of her head.
At first it just happened when one of them had upset the other - a little extra measure taken as apology - and then just to ease any sort of upset, even when not caused by the other. But slowly it began to bleed over into the every day and before Enid knew what was happening, Wednesday was kissing her goodbye every morning, always a short and precisely placed kiss against the top of her head, and Enid was kissing her goodnight every night, always short but not as short as Wednesday’s and against the top of her head, and then the side, and now somehow it had drifted all the way down to her temple. Unusual, sure, but Wednesday was the living embodiment of unusual, but more concerningly, Enid had begun to look forward to the evenings and its eventual culmination in her lips pressed warmly against the chill of Wednesday’s skin. She’d begun to look forward to the morning every night as she snuggled down into her blankets, knowing that no matter what the day held she would at least get to start it with still pajama clad and fresh faced Wednesday slipping into her space to raise up on tippy toes just a hair to kiss her head.
She shouldn’t like it as much as she did.
She chose not to overthink why.
“I need to go into town tomorrow to get a few necessities. There was a flyer in the window of that godawful pastel nightmare you call a store stating a sale would take place this weekend. Perhaps then you’d like to accompany me to Jericho?”
“Huh?” She turned the music down, before deciding it better to just pause it. “What about Jericho?”
Wednesday shuffled her feet and diverted her eyes. “I’m going tomorrow. Would you like to join me? That shop you like will be having a sale and you mentioned a week ago needing a new dress for the upcoming school social experiment.”
“You mean the spring dance?”
“Obviously.”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the pull at the corner of her lips. “Are you actually asking me to hang out with you?”
“Yes. I’m aware this is common for the general maintenance of friendship, but if you’d prefer otherwise then I will simply go alone.”
Overjoyed with the prospect of getting to spend the day hanging out with Wednesday, and made temporarily insane by the rush of something enticing and exhilarating in her gut, Enid jumped up to sweep Wednesday into a hug, only stopping herself just short to instead grab both of her hands and press a quick kiss against her cheek with a ‘yay!’
Perhaps it was because Enid’s behavior had been unexpected, but Wednesday made no move to pull away and hadn’t said anything in protest. In fact, Enid could have almost swore she saw the faintest hint of color painted across her checks as she pulled back. Regardless, she was quickly coming to recognize it was best not to question these things and just move on with her day. If there was a bit more pep in her step, no there wasn’t.
Jericho was just like it always was, not the coolest place but also better than being cooped up on campus all weekend. But for once, it felt like it had endless possibilities and too many things to see and do. She knew she was dragging the day on but she’d been having such a good day with Wednesday, who had only complained twice so far, meaning she too must not be entirely miserable.
“Ooooh, we should totally go check out the makeup in here before we go back. Maybe they have a good eyeshadow to go with this dress? Who knows they may even have something for you.” Before Wednesday could debate the likelihood they’d have anything she’d deem acceptable, Enid grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into the store.
It wasn’t until she went to pay for her selections (and the matte black lipstick she insisted she buy Wednesday despite her assertion that she didn’t wear black lipstick) that she realized the entire time they’d been in the store, their hands had still been connected, fingers laced comfortably together. She let go and paid, resisting the urge to ask for Wednesday’s hand back. A question she didn’t even need to extend as Wednesday stopped just outside the shop, one hand held out wordlessly towards Enid.
They walked back to Nevermore instead of taking the shuttle. If pressed she would have claimed it was a nice day and the fresh air was too good to pass up. If pressed harder she would have claimed she just wanted to spend a bit more time hanging out with her friend before their day together ended. If pressed to the point it would violate the Geneva Convention, she might have to confess she was highly mildly obsessed with the way Wednesday’s hand felt in hers and was having heart attacks small scale cardiac episodes every time Wednesday’s thumb brushed against her knuckles.
A week and a half after their outing, and a few days before the annual spring dance, it happened. The thing she’d been avoiding and denying and just altogether willing to sell her soul to make not be a thing.
It had been Divina’s fault - she just had to say it. And even worse… Enid couldn’t event be surprised.
Xavier had flipped his sketch pad closed, reaching over the table to steal a fry from Kent’s plate. “You going to put us all to shame again Addams?” Wednesday didn’t bother to look up from her book. “No. You’ll all just have to content yourselves with whatever mediocrity is on display. I won’t be attending.”
“You aren’t going to the dance?” Divina cut in.
Enid already knew that Wednesday wasn’t going. She’d tried to get her to change her mind, but Wednesday insisted that one school dance a year was already asking too much.
“I obviously have better things to do than linger in that cesspool of teen hormones and desperation.”
“But Enid is going…”
“What’s your point?”
And with all the carefree ease of someone who had nothing to loose, Divina opened her big stupid mouth to ask, “aren’t you guys, like, together?”
Wednesday put her book down.
Enid wanted to cease existing.
“What?” The look in Wednesday’s eyes might make that happen.
Divina shot Enid a nervous glance, but Enid couldn’t say or do anything to help as she was currently urging all her atoms to disassemble.
“You guys aren’t dating?”
There was a very, very, long stretch of silence before Wednesday simply replied ‘no’ and then went back to her book.
Enid thought that perhaps her atoms had misunderstood as clearly only her brain had dissolved while the rest of her body still was quite unfortunately structurally sound and stuck sitting there through this personal hellscape.
The conversation with Yoko had been like looking into a funhouse mirror. You knew you were looking at your reflection and yet all you saw was this distorted and grotesque image, something entirely unrecognizable.
She had hoped that Divina was just seeing something that wasn’t there but when it was all spread out for her like that, all the undeniable evidence, she had no choice but to admit that to anyone else it looked a lot like a relationship. Some of the points made were obvious even to her, while others had somehow bypassed ‘deny-ville’ and instead just skirted her brain entirely. In the obvious category was of course their physical behavior - the proximity in which they would sit or stand, the easy touches to shoulders or arms or backs or hands, the handholding - one of the more rare occurrences - not that it helped that they had actively been holding hands under the table at the very moment Divina opened her frickin’ mouth, the occasional kiss on the cheek or head… their PDA had certainly been noticed.
Then there was the other category with all the little surprises and nuances Enid didn’t want to have to analyze. Enid, who had enjoyed discussing boys just as much as any other gossip, had apparently not mentioned a one since Ajax. Not a single little scrap of interest expressed, even going so far as to turn down Yoko’s offer to connect her with her cousin she’d introduced Enid to during family weekend their first year - the one Enid had not shut up about for a whole month after but somehow now had zero interest in. Then there were the looks she apparently kept giving Wednesday, ‘lingering glances and fuck me eyes’ as Yoko had described. She could potentially concede to the first claim but had to put her foot down on the second because there was just no way, right? And then there was Wednesday, who for the entirety of her first semester and start of her second spent her lunches who even knew where, who recently had been consistently sitting with Enid’s friend group - always reading quietly at Enid’s side with the rare conversational contribution. She showed up nearly every day and always sat next to Enid and only next to Enid, never eating, just reading. And on the few occasions that Enid had been unable to meet her friends for lunch due to illness or otherwise, Wednesday skipped as well.
There were all the little things they’d been doing for each other that, while acknowledged by them each in the moment, had not been collectively realized on a greater scale. The way she’d always bring Wednesday back a coffee when she went to town with another friend. Or how Enid would insist that Wednesday receive invites to group activities while also stipulating that no one should actually expect her to attend. And how on the very rare occasion that Wednesday would show up to something, Enid would keep an eye on her and the moment Wednesday began to show signs that she’d had enough, Enid would excuse herself from the party or movie or whatever to ask Wednesday if she wanted to leave, always walking her back to the dorm before returning to her friends. The way Wednesday would give her sweets she claimed had been given to her in a class or by an acquaintance, the very things that Yoko had seen Wednesday buying on two of these occasions only to then lie about its origin a few minutes later when offering it to Enid. Or how she let Enid wear her favorite hoodie, even going so far as to bring it to lunch once on a particularly chilly day despite wearing a different jacket, just to hand it to Enid as soon as the blonde showed up. And how she would go out of her way to shut down anyone saying anything even remotely unkind about Enid. That was also how Enid learned that Wednesday had once had Thing tie a first year student to a tree while she threatened to disembowel him if he ever made objectifying comments about Enid again. Apparently Wednesday had gone on a whole ass rant about how Enid was too intelligent, emotionally aware, and self-respecting to ever consider someone like him, how not to mistake her kindness for weakness, and how Enid was just as formidable of an opponent as Wednesday was and he better toe the lie or Enid may rip his head clean off before she even got a blade into him.
Essentially, Divina hadn’t been talking out her ass and Enid had a lot to think about.
Wednesday was, if anything, unfazed by the weirdness at lunch. Enid could only assume it was because she found the whole thing so ridiculous that it would be silly to even give it any attention. Surely. Right?
The evening passed uneventfully, perhaps because there just wasn’t anything to say or do, but mostly because Enid had busied herself with schoolwork and writing in the hopes that it would put off dealing with, well, everything.
But as much as she could delay and deny, bedtime came and with it came their nightly routine. Wednesday took her shower as Enid picked out her outfit for the following day. They took turns brushing their teeth. Thing moisturized himself and Enid helped him with his cuticle cream. And then Wednesday was standing in the middle of the room looking confused. Because for the first night in she couldn’t even recall, Enid didn’t walk over to Wednesday’s side of the room to kiss her goodnight.
After a very uncomfortable couple minutes in which Enid mimicked setting alarms or something else she hoped would be believable, making every effort not to have to look up and at the loitering roommate stood in the middle of the dorm room, Wednesday finally made her way over to her own bed.
And after another nearly as uncomfortable few minutes, she spoke quietly out into chasm between them.
“Have I done something to upset you?”
Setting her phone down, she finally looked over to see Wednesday sitting stiffly in her bed and looking almost more confused than a few moments ago.
“No, you haven’t done anything” Except she had - she’d done a lot. All of it kind and considerate and for Enid. And it had been noticed. And now there were questions in Enid’s mind about what it meant to her. What it meant to Wednesday.
“Enid… something is obviously causing you distress. You skipped our nightly ritual and now you won’t even look at me. I’ve clearly upset you in some way.”
She really had been intending to not say a damn thing and instead her brain - clearly still formless and just atom soup - led her mouth to open.
“Everyone thinks we’re dating or like a couple or whatever.”
Wednesday blinked several times. It was unnerving.
“I see.” See what? That wasn’t news. Wednesday had been there, had answered them. “I apologize if I’ve done anything to cause this misunderstanding.”
If? If she’s done anything? She’s done everything! They both had! It was their fault this had happened and worse, Enid had loved every minute of it all, had just wanted more of it. What was she supposed to do with all this now?
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“No. Why would it? What do I care what anyone thinks? But it obviously bothers you.”
She seemed almost… defensive?
“Well it isn’t true! Doesn’t that matter?”
“I’m fully aware that it isn’t true, Enid. Trust me.”
What the fuck did that mean? “Right… because I’m so undatable?”
“No. Because you aren’t.”
…What?
Wednesday looked away, mouth opening and closing several times, before finally finding the right words.
“If you must know, I am not bothered by any of your friends’ assumptions, in part because of what I’ve already stated, but also because the concept itself is… not revolting.”
From just about anyone else’s mouth, ‘not revolting’ would most definitely be some backhand way of saying ‘eww but like not the biggest ever eww, just like maybe a moderate to high eww’, the medium salsa spice level of eww, if you will. But this was Wednesday and ‘not revolting’ might as well mean ‘I’m low-key obsessed with this, where do I sign’.
“Just to clarify, you don’t hate the idea of us dating, like in a theoretical way, or like you’d actually want to date?”
The blinking was back but at least she was looking at her now. Enid wasn’t really sure she preferred that thought and fought the urge to look away.
“The latter. Though I of course expect no such thing to happen. Frankly, if I must admit, it was perhaps not entirely truthful of me to answer so decisively earlier that we are not dating. I may have limited dating experience but even I am pretty sure that there is minimal difference in our relationship and that of a couple.”
Enid felt like a video that just kept trying to buffer. Stupid soup brain.
“What…what do you mean?” And before Wednesday could respond at all she amended it. “Minimal difference?”
Wednesday got up out of bed and crossed the room, pulling Enid’s desk chair out to sit just in front of her. A hand reach out and she didn’t have it in her to deny Wednesday. Their fingers entangled just as easily as they always did.
“Enid… I have effectively been courting you in all but name, as have you. Our behavior has not been strictly platonic for some time now. Surely you see this?”
As shocking as Divina’s comments and Yoko’s explanation had been, she had known this for some time but made excuses and wrote it off and ignored the matter, not wanting to have to address what any of it meant or if these feelings she was definitely feeling were reciprocated at all or if this was all just Wednesday being Wednesday and not understanding or caring about social expectations.
“I… I know. But minimal?”
Wednesday leaned forward further, catching her eye. “Yes. We spend at least some amount of time together every day, and while of course that is in large part due to our living arrangements, I’m more referring to the socialization. We attend select social events together. We engage in a great deal of physical contact. I know you enjoy physical affection, but your physicality with me is beyond that of any of your other friends. Namely, we routinely hold hands for extended periods of time and for reasons outside of practicality both in private and public, and… we kiss.”
“You say it like we’re making out.” And as insane of a statement as that is given who she is saying it to, it’s not as unbelievable as the flush spread across Wednesday’s face or the way her stomach flutters at the thought. “I mean, like, when you are with someone in that way usually you kiss on the lips. You make out with them. And…”
She left the last bit off because that wasn’t a thought she could even begin to allow right now.
“And that is something you’d prefer we don’t do together?”
No. Of course not. Except for the whole it being a big ole lie thing. Because yes. Yes she did want that.
“I didn’t say that.”
There was a considerable period of staring, and some more of Wednesday’s uncharacteristic blinking. Enid’s discomfort nearly led her to expand on her statement but her voice had disappeared and Wednesday made no move to reply. Until she did.
“Would you like to try?”
Well… that was most definitely not on her Wednesday Addams bingo card. Nope. Now if Wednesday had said something like ‘I need help burying a body’, or ‘Enid, I’ve decided to try to set fire to myself, could you ensure you vacate the room no later that 7pm tomorrow evening.’, or maybe even ‘Bianca is my bestie and I’m not at all threatened by her in any way’… that was a bingo she’d be more likely to expect.
Her words fell out of her head somewhere between her brain and her mouth and besides a very unfortunate squeak, nothing came out. Wednesday just sat there waiting and not wanting to wake up from what must be a dream before she had a chance to experience this, she shook her head yes.
The first kiss was brief. Just a simple and chaste press of their lips. No more or less that the same kind of kiss they’d been sharing day in and out for weeks, except Wednesday’s lips pressed against hers instead of the top of her head. The second was much the same but longer and then as they pulled back, Wednesday brought her free hand up to rest against the side of her neck, fingers softly brushing against the hair hanging there and then threading in. This time, when they leaned back in, she tilted her head and let Wednesday’s lips slide against hers, slotting together. A shot of electricity came snaking up her spine and she opened her mouth slightly. In a surprising move, Wednesday wasted no time taking advantage of it, her tongue brushing out and running against her bottom lip. Of all the moments of late Enid thought she might simply stop breathing, this had been the most significant.
It was well past 1am when Wednesday finally rolled away from Enid and went back to her own bed. Enid felt like she was having an out of body experience. Kissing Wednesday had been beyond any sort of expectation she could have ever had. For someone who really did not like physical contact, she was a really, really good kisser, and more surprisingly, quite handsy. Not aggressively so or anything, more so just Enid would have thought she’d be restrictive with contact. But instead, Wednesday had been the one to kiss her, to let her thumb trace along her jaw, to pull her in closer, to climb up onto Enid’s lap and wrap her arms around her shoulders. She’d been the one gently push Enid back until she would resting comfortably against the back of her bed. She’d been the one to tell Enid it was okay to hold her. Wednesday had promised to stop her if she crossed a boundary and Enid had trusted her.
They didn’t discuss it further. It was late. But Enid wasn’t super concerned about it. They could figure it out tomorrow. For tonight, she’d content herself to the knowledge that she did have feelings for Wednesday, and Wednesday liked her too.
Morning came and just as any other morning, Wednesday kissed her before they left for their classes. But unlike every other morning, this kiss was placed on her lips. There might have also been a few extras.
Lunch came and just as any other afternoon, Wednesday joined her at the usual table, taking her spot, book in one hand and Enid’s in the other. But unlike every other afternoon, she eventually put the book down and busied herself eating grapes off Enid’s tray.
Evening came and just as any other evening, Wednesday spent an hour working on her novel. But unlike every other evening, after her writing time Wednesday invited her into her bed to watch a movie together on Enid’s laptop.
Night came and just as any other night, Wednesday did her bedtime routine. But unlike every other night, when Enid kissed her goodnight she deepened it.
If they spent the night smushed into Wednesday’s bed, limbs tangled and Enid drooling on Wednesday’s baggy sleep shirt, well, so be it.
Wednesday took Enid to the dance and this time when Divina mentioned how they definitely looked like a couple, Wednesday said it was because they were.