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“Thanks for coming with me. I appreciate it. Even if you are banned from the mall now.”
The snow fell steadily over Jericho. Wednesday inhaled deeply, the cold filling her chest. Tyler asked if she would accompany him to finish the last of his Christmas shopping. Having done her shopping weeks ago, she would have preferred to work on her novel, staying out of the hectic crowd. But for some reason, Wednesday found herself agreeing to go.
She regretted it almost instantaneously. The noise was too much on its own, people talking too loudly, yelling, children crying. All the demanding, feeble threats made against exhausted looking employees if they didn’t retrieve the item they wanted this instant . She’d wanted to bolt as soon as they arrived. Tyler rubbed his thumb on her hand but it did no good.
At some point, a man began to harass Tyler for no reason other than own delusions telling him that he’d skipped ahead in the line. Her boyfriend tried to insist that he hadn’t, not wanting to escalate it further. Wednesday waited all of one minute before taking matters into her own hands. She whacked the man on the side of his face with the heavy book she’d acquired, a slight smile on her lips watching him crumple to the ground. Tyler stared at her gobsmacked. The rest of the surrounding customers quieted down in fear.
Security was immediately called. An ambulance came minutes later. She was questioned, threatened with assault charges that she dared them to give her. Then she was subsequently given a lifetime ban.
It was a productive day.
“You are welcome. I suppose it wasn’t entirely terrible,” she replied.
“You’re just saying that because you gave that guy a concussion,” Tyler said, not at all bothered by her actions.
“Yes, of course,” Wednesday agreed. “It will make a great story to share with Uncle Fester.”
"Are you just trying to hide the fact that you defended my honor?" Tyler reached down to take hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers. Neither of them wore gloves so their appendages were cold from the chill that was all around. She could feel the calluses, the warmth that came from his hand. It felt alright to hold. More than alright.
However, when he tried swinging their arms back and forth, she drew the line.
"Absolutely not," she scolded him, trying to yank her hand back. He wouldn't let her go just yet.
Tyler pouted at her refusal. "Please, Wendy?"
That name came out inadvertently one day. He'd meant to call her Wen as he usually did, but it somehow came out as Wendy and it ended up sticking. He had worse nicknames for her so she could tolerate that one.
"Why do you want to act like those nauseating couples in those horrid movies Enid always watches?" She demanded.
"Because I know how much you secretly want to be like those nauseating couples in those horrid movies Enid watches," Tyler said, expertly dodging a kick to the back of his knee with a laugh that Wednesday shouldn't have liked as much as she did.
"Thornhill must have received her teaching degree from a corner shop! Her knowledge is non-existent, on both the plants she is supposed to teach and what a proper essay looks like!"
Tyler slowly looked away from the drink he was preparing and over to his fuming girlfriend who would probably combust at any minute now. "Bad day?" He said carefully so she wouldn't lash out at him too.
"My botany teacher is an imbecile," she told him bluntly. Slamming down a paper on the counter, Tyler took a peek at it. "Look at this nonsense. She gave me a B!"
"Sweetheart," Tyler knew she was a perfectionist. He found it endearing most of the time. "What's wrong with that?"
"My essay deserved an A, Tyler. I am well versed in the topic of carnivorous plants."
"Did you write about your mother?" Tyler mentally cheered when he saw the faintest hint of amusement gleam in her eyes.
"Regretfully, no. But I did write my assigned topic better than anything my half brained cohorts could ever do."
Confidence is key , he thought dryly.
"Wen, it happens," he consoled her.
"It shouldn't have," she said crossly. "Thornhill obviously didn't understand the material. I will demand she reread it until she does and gives me the grade I deserve."
"Wednesday, I'm begging you not to be like those people," he chuckled. "Don't. Just accept the grade and try harder next time."
"I tried hard this time and my work should reflect that. I have never received anything lower than an A in my life and I don't intend to now. I should show Thornhill exactly why she ought to be familiar with the source material and-"
Wednesday abruptly stopped talking. Tyler had come out from behind the counter, shaking his head fondly before wrapping his arms around her smaller frame. It caught her off guard. Enough to have her peeking up at him through her eyelashes. He took a moment to look at her, thinking about how much he loved this girl more than anything, even when she was on the warpath, and kissed the crown of her head.
"It's going to be okay. Just take a deep breath." Wednesday grumbled against his chest. Tyler smoothed down one of her braids as she obliged him. “There. Do you feel better now?”
“No.”
“Do you have less of a desire to maim your professor?” He changed his wording.
“Only slightly,” Wednesday stayed in his arms, the steam that would have practically been blowing out of her ear moments ago evaporated away.
“I’m glad,” he’d take it for a win. “Don’t beat yourself up over this, okay? I’m sure it’s a great essay.”
She blew out a puff of air. “I still believe Thornhill is a disgrace.”
“Okay.”
“And I will use a container of fire ants to prove my point.”
“Wednesday, no-”
“Are you enjoying the movie?” Tyler murmured.
The lights were off in his room, the only source coming from his laptop that was perched on his computer chair beside the bed. They were both laying on their side, with one of his arms loosely thrown over her, snuggling her up from behind.
“It is positively horrendous,” Wednesday declared, nose wrinkling at the same time Mia from the Princess Diaries was receiving her makeover.
“Just wait ‘till next time,” he warned her with a small smirk, wondering what her reaction to Hotel Transylvania would be. “I guarantee you’ll be horrified.”
“You are quite evil, Galpin.”
“Just for you, Cockroach.” She shivered when he whispered in her ear.
At some point, she switched to laying on her stomach for the remainder of the movie. Tyler’s hand traveled down to the end of her shirt, absentmindedly rubbing up and down her back but respectfully staying below her bra line. She never explicitly said she liked her back being rubbed, but she’d also never told him off for it or slashed his tires or made him fail a drug test at work or whatever else she could think of. So Tyler took that as her silent way of communicating to him her consent.
“Did I tell you what happened at work the other day after you left?”
“No.”
“There was a bit of a fight. My manager had to stop it,” Tyler recalled. “I’m not really sure what happened, we were swamped at the time, but I think these girls were fighting over a guy? Again, I’m not really sure. I was trying to focus on the other orders. But they did get physical and my manager had to break it up. It was crazy, but not the craziest thing that’s happened there.”
“Were they horrifically injured? Do they bear scars now?” Wednesday asked eagerly.
“It wasn’t that bad,” he said, much to her visible disappointment. “At least I don’t think so. From what I could see, it didn’t look too bad but maybe they went to a doctor. I don’t know.”
He removed his hand to move a piece of hair that was making his forehead itch, his other hand trapped under the pillow--and probably losing circulation. Wednesday twisted her head to look at him in disapproval.
“Why did you stop?”
“This is creepy.”
“Silence. I want to take this all in.”
Tyler wormed his way out of working the night shift on Halloween night. When he told her of his recent availability, Wednesday immediately recruited him to drive her just outside of Jericho. She’d been growing restless, bored after exploring all of what the small town had to offer, which wasn’t much.
Now this , this was up to her standards. The mausoleum was over two centuries old, full of cobwebs and decay. Wednesday’s insides tingled with excitement. You couldn’t find this kind of authenticity in Jericho. She glanced over at Tyler who had walked right into a spider’s carefully woven web, coughing.
Enid told her that it was important to share one’s interests with their significant other when in a relationship. Wednesday just knew Tyler would appreciate it just like she did. He often did, somehow understanding her better than anyone ever had.
“Isn’t this breathtaking, Tyler?”
“It was for this guy,” Tyler nudged the casket in the middle of the tomb with a grin that stretched across his face.
Wednesday stared at him impassively as he giggled at his own joke.
Perhaps she was mistaken. She should have left him in the car.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Tyler dropped his arm so his flashlight pointed down at the ground and not in her face. “It’s really nice. You know with the whole dead vibe it has going. Thanks for bringing me, Wen.”
“You were a necessity. I needed a ride.”
“Sure, sure,” Tyler waved her off. “So what’s next? Sit in the woods and use a ouija board?”
“Those are useless,” Wednesday was insulted by the amount of sheer dumb people who fell for it. You had to have a gift to speak to spirits. “I would think you'd know better than to believe in such a foolish concept.”
He laughed. “I didn’t know it’d rile you up this much.”
“Our powers are sacred. They’re not to be mocked.”
“I better not tell you about Bloody Mary then,” he said.
“You don’t think I’ve heard of it? I’ve read all about folklore legends, and I have to say that I am not impressed by that one.”
“It is hard to impress Wednesday Addams.”
“Hence why you have yet to.”
“Ouch, okay. It’s a good thing you aren’t looking for a career as a critic or something. You’d probably make somebody cry.”
Wednesday thought that sounded quite pleasant. And she could make a career out of it? “I haven’t given it much thought until now.”
“What have I done?” Tyler whispered dramatically.
Wednesday shined her flashlight directly in his face, smiling slightly when he covered his eyes.
“Geeze...”
For a second or two, she observed him. Aggressively wiping his eyes, muttering about how he was seeing spots, it caused a sudden wave of desire to hit Wednesday. Their relationship was still new. They’d not done anything too fast as this was her first one. Tyler was very good about it, always ensuring that he wasn’t making her uncomfortable.
What was this feeling that came over her so strongly? Love?
“Hey, you okay?” She looked up to meet his eyes. She must have been staring at him.
“Yes,” she said, more sure than ever.
“This is a good look for you,” Tyler, who could finally see again, gently wiped the fallen dust from her bangs with a chuckle. His fingers traced down her cheek to her jaw, maintaining eye contact.
She swore she almost stopped breathing when he leaned in.
“Is this okay?” His voice was a barely to be heard whisper.
Wednesday nodded. There, standing in the middle of a two century old mausoleum, she received her first kiss.
Wednesday normally felt cold, but that didn't mean she was cold.
Her hands, regardless of the temperature, were chilled. Sometimes she liked to slide her hands up Tyler’s shirt when he was being particularly obnoxious just so she’d hear him shriek. It was a glorious sight.
But she’d never felt affected by the cold until today .
For the past week or so, it was unseasonably warm, the typical autumn temperatures not yet plaguing them. And then it just dropped . It was below forty, though not considered below freezing. Wednesday had made it out of her dorm room, down past the front gate of Nevermore in one of her thin sweaters when she shivered .
When was the last time that had happened?
Wednesday was genuinely cold. She didn’t want to go back up to grab something else. Tyler would be here any minute. Besides, his car would be heated. She’d be fine.
“Are you okay?” Tyler asked. They were in his bedroom, continuing the movie they’d started to play the other day but had to stop so Wednesday could make it back before curfew. It wasn’t that she really cared about making it on time, but with the mild headache lingering with her that day, she decided to spare herself one of Weems’ lectures on punctuality and its importance.
They were shoulder-to-shoulder. Wednesday could feel some of the heat Tyler was radiating towards her but it wasn’t enough to take the chill off of her. “Yes.”
“You’re cold, aren’t you?” He frowned.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” Tyler took one of his blankets, wrapping it around her shoulders. “Wednesday, I’ve watched you shiver when you think I’m not looking.”
“You were supposed to be watching the movie!”
He ignored that. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“Tyler, don’t overreact.”
“Wednesday-” He made a noise of frustration. “Quit being so stubborn.”
“That is the essence of my entire being.”
“Believe me, I know.”
Wednesday protested when she was suddenly in Tyler’s lap, his arms around her. “I demand that you unhand me right now!”
“Sorry, Buttercup,” Tyler only held her tighter so she wouldn't get away. “No can do.”
“ Tyler !”
“Are you whining?” He teased her.
“Of course not.” She’d not meant for it to come out like that, but they’d both heard it.
“I don’t know. It sure sounded like that to me,” Tyler said while she tried to squirm. “Come on, Wendy, just let me hold you.”
“You’re not going to give up until I accept this fate, I assume?”
“Nope!”
Wednesday relaxed against him resignedly. He was warm and she supposed there were worse things he could do to--holding her hostage while Enid talked animatedly about her dream of seeing a real life unicorn, or having to hear him make countless declarations of how much he loved her.
Wednesday had not stopped by the Weathervane lately. She hadn’t broken into Tyler’s house in the middle of night or anything. There was a huge exam coming up she needed to study for, an exam that required all of her attention. Usually, school wasn’t a problem for her. Tyler swore she was a genius but she’d scoffed last time he’d said it to her. This was different. The subject was uncharacteristically difficult for her to comprehend. Enid had texted him on more than occasion to tell him to sneak in so he could calm Wednesday down. Then minutes later, he would receive another message from Enid’s number, this time from his girlfriend warning him not to come if he wished to not have his ears torn off.
Today marked a week of not seeing her. It kind of sucked. His dad had remarked on their separation, dryly asking him if he was going to make it. Like geeze, he wasn’t that attached to her.
As he was finishing up his shift, he thought about making her a quad. There was no espresso machine at Nevermore so she’s been going cold turkey and he knew how addicted she was to caffeine. He’d text Enid, tell her to make sure Wednesday was by the gate and drop it off for her. He could see her momentarily and he wouldn’t be withholding her from studying for long.
So that is what he chose to do.
“Hey,” Tyler greeted her, standing there with her folded arms and deadpan expression.
“Hello,” she noticed the coffee in his hands. “I did not request a quad.”
“I know,” Tyler replied. “I wanted to bring you one. I figured you were having withdrawals.”
When she froze, he thought he’d somehow offended her--and who knew with Wednesday. Then, she blinked . “Oh. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
Wednesday took the quad, taking a long sip. “I’ve missed you as well,” she said to the cup and not him.
He laughed loudly. And to think some people didn’t think Wednesday had a sense of humor. “How’s the studying going?” Enid had told him all about how Wednesday turned into a nightmare when she was stressed.
“Very well.”
“Mhm,” he eyed her.
“You’ve been talking to Enid, haven’t you?” She said accusingly.
“Yep.”
“She’s lying.”
Tyler gave her a knowing look.
“I have been perfectly composed,” she said.
“Then why did Enid tell me you threatened to scalp her when she told you it was time for dinner?”
Wednesday paused. “You would have as well if you had to deal with an overexcited wolf squealing in your ear constantly.”
“Now why do I get the feeling you’re exaggerating?” He said idly. “Has anyone ever told you that you needed to chill?”
“Not anyone that's still breathing.”
Tyler gripped her shoulder, mindful not to hold it too tight. “ Chill , Addams. You’ll do great like you always do.”
“That remains to be seen,” Wednesday glanced over her shoulder, giving Tyler the impression she wanted to go back to her dorm. “I’m going now. Goodbye.”
“Bye, Gorgeous,” he called. He started to go to his car when he heard her footsteps approaching him from behind. “What’s up? Did you-”
Wednesday stood there motionless for a split second, getting on her tiptoes to quickly kiss his cheek. “Thank you again for the quad. Your thoughtfulness is....appreciated.”
On that note, she walked back up to Nevermore in a fashion that would technically be considered speed-walking.
Like an idiot, Tyler remained there, rooted in his spot. He touched his cheek, a giddy grin in place.