Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Tyler awakened that morning, he realized he was not in his bedroom. He came face to face with black . And not just that, but a familiar looking typewriter. It puzzled him; he hadn't stayed over with Wednesday since it was a school night and the last thing he needed was for his dad to get on his case. 

Had she drugged him? That might explain his confusion, but than again she didn't normally want him around like that because of Enid. There would be virtually no privacy, especially not with the wolf's increased sense of smell. Willing to avoid any possible embarrassing moments or bloodshed, Tyler agreed not to let anything escalate while at Nevermore. 

"Morning, Roomie," came Enid from the other side of the room, surrounded by her collection of stuffed animals. 

Tyler turned on his side, expecting Wednesday to be there but she wasn’t. In fact, she wasn’t in the room at all . 

What? He thought, confused. But Enid just said- 

His hand came up to run through his hair, or rather, a pale, petite hand that didn’t belong to him. 

A pale hand with black painted fingernails that most certainly wasn’t done by him. 

Ah , he thought dryly. 

He should really be more... freaked by this. But he’d been around Wednesday long enough to accept that weird crap was going to happen. 

The small mirror his girlfriend placed on the nightstand beside her bed showed her reflection instead of his own, confirming his suspicion. 

“Enid,” Wednesday's voice coming out of him did not sound right. 

“Yeah?” The girl in question was in the middle of some ballet-style dance on her way to the bathroom. 

“I need your phone so I can talk to Tyler.” 

There was something really strange about saying his own name like that. 

“Wednesday,” Enid whined, “what if Ajax texts me? I can’t miss it!” 

“You’ll see him in class.” There, that didn’t sound too off. But Wednesday wouldn’t have cared. She’d probably snatch it away from the other girl without asking for permission. 

Enid gave up the phone with a pout on her lips. “You really need your own phone,” she said with the air of someone who had attempted to pursue this line of conversation with Wednesday before. He definitely had, not that she listened to him either. Sometimes Enid would look at him as if he had some superpower that could make Wednesday do what he wanted. As if anyone could make her do what they wanted. 

Tyler held his breath until the door shut, then he quickly found his contact information listed under Wednesday’s bf😍 , pressing the call button. 

He didn’t have to wait long for her, err, himself to answer. 

“We seem to have a problem,” Wednesday said flatly. 

“Do we?” Tyler couldn’t help the sarcasm from coming through. 

“Watch it, Galpin.” 

“Who did you anger now?” He said with an eye roll. 

“I have done nothing!” 

“Really, and that’s why I’m listening to myself talk?” He rolled his eyes. 

She huffed. “I will have to figure this out.” 

“And how long will that take?” 

“I do not know at this time. First I have to find out why we have swapped bodies,” she said. “Then comes the challenge of fixing it.” 

He sighed, nearly falling back into that habit of running a hand through his hair when he remembered it wasn’t his hair he’d be messing up. Wednesday’s hair was still braided, albeit messy from sleep. “What are we supposed to do until then? I have the afternoon shift today.” 

“I will go to work for you,” she said as if it were obvious. 

“ You ?” He echoed. 

“Yes, of course.” 

There were so many problems he could already see arising. “Do you know how to make coffee?” He said skeptically. 

“It cannot be that hard,” she scoffed. “You do it.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Look, I don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

“Why not?” 

“You’re not exactly a people person, Wednesday. I don’t think you could handle any of the customers.” 

“Of course I could,” she’d instantly taken offense to that. “I would do better than any of those simpletons there.” 

“Wednesday, no ,” he said firmly, keeping his voice hushed so Enid wouldn’t hear. “Just...just text one of my co-workers and tell them I’m sick.” 

“There is no need for that. I can very well handle the Weathervane for one day,” she bristled. 

“You really can’t,” he shut his eyes. “My luck, you’ll get me fired.” 

“You will be more likely to get fired if you lie and are caught out in town later,” she pointed out sourly, clearly not appreciating his previous remark. 

Tyler had no reasonable response to that. It was one of the downsides to working in a small town where everyone knew everyone. And then if his dad found out- 

Oh, crap. 

His dad. 

“Have you seen my dad yet?” The words rushed out, just as she was speaking again. 

“No,” Wednesday said, miffed at the interruption. “I believe he’s just waking up.” 

“Okay, good,” Tyler said, relieved. His dad being a cop, he’d notice something was wrong with ‘him’ as soon as Wednesday opened her mouth. “Good. Uh, don’t say anything to him.” 

“Would that not look suspicious?” 

“Not really,” Tyler shrugged, even though she couldn’t see him. “I’m not a morning person and he’s usually in a hurry to leave, so it’s not like we’re talking much.” 

“I see.” 

Tyler adjusted the phone. “Okay, I know I can’t really stop you but please just don’t get me fired, Wednesday. I need this job.” 

“I don’t see why,” Wednesday mused. “My family has more than enough money to take care of you. Neither of us would ever need to work.” 

A distinctly un-Wednesday-like smile came blooming over her face. Tyler couldn’t suppress his happiness. Not when she’d explicitly referenced them being long-term. Still, he had to reign it in. “You know I can’t do that,” he said, hoping his voice was nonplussed. “I want to work, Wen.” 

She huffed in his ear. “We will discuss this at a later time.” 

“Sure, okay.” He heard some noise in the background, his brain too fogged up with many, many thoughts to properly discern it. “So am I gonna go to class for you then, or what?” 

“Absolutely not!” Wednesday snapped. “I will not have you making me look like a fool.” 

The average person would probably be offended by that. He would have if it came from anyone else. But being Wednesday Addams was not something he knew he could successfully pull off. “Glad you have a ton of faith in me, sweetheart.” 

“Do not use pet names while using my tongue!” Wednesday reacted immediately. 

“You know you’re not really in any position to make demands like that,” he said. “I could do a lot of things you’d hate right now.” 

“Do not forget that I am now in possession of your testicles right now, Galpin.” 

He grinned slyly. “That sounds hot.” From the other end of the line, she breathed in and out deeply through her nose, her temper was starting to skyrocket. 

“Your ignorant remark aside,” she said tightly, “we need to be convincing. You will have to ensure that Enid does not suspect anything. Thing, on the other hand-” 

He couldn’t help it, he snorted. 

“ What ?” He could just hear the scowl in her voice. 

“On the other hand ,” he giggled. 

“Stop making that abominable noise!" 

"Oh come on, that was funny." 

"When we are back in our correct bodies, you will surely pay for it." 

"Something tells me I'll like that." 

Behind the bathroom door, the shower turned on. That was good, gave them a few more minutes to talk about this. He'd almost forgotten about Enid, honestly. It was a good thing she hadn't come out a second ago or there would be hell to pay from Wednesday later. Not that he wasn't already going to deal with it. 

"Stop fooling around," she ordered. There was a noise in the background and she lowered her voice. "Stay in the dormitory until classes are over. Then you will need to sneak out to the Weathervane." 

"How will I know when that is?" 

"Enid will return at precisely one-thirty. That is when you will make your escape. Once you are there, we will figure this out." 

"Okay," he breathed. "Okay, I'll do that. But Wednesday, just remember what you said. You know, about being convincing." 

"What of it?" 

"You gotta talk like me," he pointed out. "Nobody's gonna believe it if I suddenly start talking like a walking dictionary.

He knew he'd pay for that comment too. 

"Very well," Wednesday said through grit teeth. "Then you must speak like me as well. None of that butchered English you regularly speak with." 

He rolled his eyes. "Sure thing, babe." 

"Enough with the pet names!"

Tyler smirked. "I should probably give Enid her phone back now. See you later, I love you." Then, because he couldn't resist the urge, he added sweetly, "Baby." 

She hung up without responding and he knew he'd successfully ticked her off. 

Tyler's choice of clothing was severely inadequate. 

Wednesday browsed through the little that he owned, angst at the thought of being forced into colors. They were not overly bright or obnoxious like Enid's were, but that didn't mean she wanted to wear any blues or browns. 

She'd yet to think of a reason for this to have happened. Just last night they'd gone to bed in their respective bodies and now here they were, having to be in each other's. Her mind went through a dozen scenarios, trying to pinpoint where things might have gone wrong. She came up with nothing. Which aggravated her. 

Tyler’s body was unfamiliar to her. Lanky limbs, calloused hands, hair that no longer fell past her shoulders. Not to mention, certain anatomy she did not personally have. Out of curiosity, she pulled the waistband of his flannel pajama pants, peeking down at the appendage. She’d never seen a penis in person before. They’d not yet reached a point in their relationship that they were becoming as intimate as other people their age. 

It was intriguing. Wednesday made a mental note to further examine it later. 

With no other choice, she picked out the darkest shades of color Tyler had to offer in his wardrobe, telling herself she was going to be purchasing black clothing for him once this was over. The plaid shirts that were hanging up were not sufficient enough so she didn’t bother with them. She actually downgraded the amount of layers ‘he’ would be wearing today.  The brown jacket he usually wore was left draped over his computer chair, forwent in favor of a dark blue zip-up. Though she did put on a pair of blue jeans and his brown boots like normal. 

Wednesday exited his bedroom so she could go downstairs and make herself a cup of coffee. She’d definitely need one today- 

She stopped dead in her tracks, only a couple steps into the hallway when the Sheriff came out of his room, yawning as he padded off to the bathroom. 

The image of him in a white tank top and shorts will forever haunt her. 

Convincing Enid that ‘Wednesday’ was sick was surprisingly easy. Tyler had his doubts considering he’d been up to demand use of her cell phone. 

Apparently there was some flu strain going around campus for the past week and a half, infecting students left and right. Enid freaked out at the thought of it being so close to her now, ambushing his senses with a long spray of disinfectant to sanitize everything in the dorm. It sent him into a coughing fit. She was unremorseful, even when he glared at her for it. She was taking no chances, not with Ajax taking her on a date later. 

“Don’t worry, Roomie,” Enid was putting her backpack on, cell phone in hand. “I’ll get all your homework for you.” 

He nodded curtly, knowing that a thank you was not likely to come from Wednesday. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get the nurse?” Enid said anxiously. Wednesday hardly ever got sick, especially not enough to keep her from attending class, so he could understand her worry. 

“I will be fine,” he said, huddled underneath the soft black blankets. 

Enid didn’t look like she fully believed that. “Okay,” she said. “But if you need anything, send Thing.” 

It just occurred to Tyler that Thing was nowhere to be found. “Where is Thing?” 

“You don't remember?” Enid frowned. “He’s on his morning walk.” 

Morning...nope, not important right now. “Ah....yes,” he said lamely. “I forgot.” 

“You forgot ?” Enid whispered, shocked. 

Right, because Wednesday’s memory was impeccable. 

“Okay, I really think I should get the nurse.” 

“ No ,” he said firmly. “Enid, I’m fine. If you get that nurse, so help me, I’ll-” 

Her face scrunched up. “Well, I guess you’re okay if you’re threatening me,” she said, sounding unsure. Her phone chimed, an upbeat pop song he vaguely recognized. She glanced down at it, then back at him. “I gotta go. I’ll be back later. Please let Thing take care of you.” 

“Perhaps,” he said just as the door shut. 

When the coast was clear, he let out a heavy sigh. Now what was he supposed to do until the afternoon? 

“Morning, Bud,” Sheriff grumbled, bringing a cup of coffee to his lips. 

Wednesday was seated at the table with her own cup, looking sullen. 

When his son didn’t respond, Sheriff looked over in that direction, eyebrows raised questioningly. Wednesday only stared back. “You know, I think Addams has rubbed off on you a bit too much.” 

Wednesday rolled her eyes. Consuming the last of her caffeinated beverage, she placed the mug in the sink and went to find a suitable toothbrush that wasn’t Tyler’s to use. Sheriff did not take this well. He followed her to the stairs. 

“Tyler!” 

“What?” She snapped, whirling around. 

It could very well be said that Wednesday was not a people person. She was even less of one during the early morning hours. It certainly didn’t help to be in this less than ideal sort of situation. 

“You better watch that attitude,” Sheriff warned. 

What was it that Tyler was always saying? Oh, yes. 

“Whatever,” Wednesday scoffed. 

“Is there a problem?” Sheriff demanded to know. “

“Not at all.” 

“Then you better straighten up,” Sheriff poked her in the chest with his finger. It took everything in her not to break said finger. “Go get ready.” 

Wednesday was seething on her way up the stairs. She could hear him calling up to her. 

“You talk to me like that again and you won’t have a car, understood?” 

“Perfectly,” she called back coldly. 

The door burst open around fifteen minutes later, Thing hopping in, coming to a halt at seeing ‘Wednesday’ in bed. Tyler was still laying down just in case Enid came back. He didn’t want her to see him up and around. 

Why aren’t you in class? Thing asked. 

Thankfully, Wednesday had taught him sign language in order to properly communicate with Thing. Tyler sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. This was not going to be easy to explain. 

“Thing...” He started. “It’s me, Tyler.” 

The appendage seemed confused. 

I’m right there with you, Buddy , he thought. 

“Me and Wednesday switched bodies somehow,” he explained. “I woke up like this and she woke up in my body.” 

Prove it , Thing told him. 

“Okay,” Tyler didn’t have to think long. “You gave me the finger when I called you Wednesday’s pet.” Thing did not seem convinced, so he added, “And before that, you freaked me out and I tried to beat you with a baseball bat.” 

That did the trick. Thing was stunned. How did this happen? 

“Beats me,” Tyler shrugged. “Like I said, I woke up like this.” 

And...Wednesday? Thing asked. 

“She’s gonna be me today,” Tyler didn’t know if he should be afraid of that or not. “She’s working my shift. She told me to fake being sick and sneak out later.” 

Does Enid know? Thing hopped up onto Wednesday’s bed. 

“No, and she can’t,” Tyler gave him a look, knowing how close the two of them were. “Wednesday doesn’t want anyone else besides you to know.” 

Thing promised to keep the secret. 

“Thanks,” Tyler’s, err-- Wednesday’s, stomach gave an audible growl. Smiling sheepishly, he said, “Do you think you get me something to eat?” 

Wednesday stood at the register, waiting for a customer to come in. There was another girl working. Kelly or Kelsey. She didn’t care to remember which name it was. Currently, that barista was re-stacking the medium sized coffee cups, every so often glancing back at ‘Tyler.’ 

“So, Ty,” she said casually. “You have any plans this weekend?” 

Wednesday, for once in her life, was able to look down at someone. She stared at her, keeping Tyler’s face emotionless. 

The girl’s small smile slipped from her face, and she moved her hand in a well gesture. “Sooo...?” She said to prompt him. 

“Why does it matter to you?” 

The girl came closer, flashing ‘Tyler’ what was supposed to be a seductive smile. “There’s a party this weekend. Thought you might want to come along.” 

“You’ve misjudged me.” 

Her confidence never wavered. “Come on, Ty,” Soon-To-Be-Rotting-Corpse placed her hand on ‘his’ forearm. “Think about it.” 

She winked. 

Rage bubbled up inside of Wednesday at the blatant disrespect. They made no attempt to hide their relationship. Everyone should be well aware that Tyler Galpin belonged to her . And this nonsense of her touching his body? 

Well, Wednesday would take care of that at once. 

“Come here,” she commanded. 

The girl obeyed, clearly thinking this was going to end well for her. 

Face inches apart, Wednesday spoke very softly. 

“Do not speak to me again. Do not touch me. Do not even look in my direction. Should you disobey those orders, I will disfigure you so badly that no one will be able to properly identify you.” 

Soon-To-Be-Rotting-Corpse’s breath hitched. Speechless, she looked terrified. 

“Do we have an understanding?” 

The girls barely nodded before she darted away, taking off for refuge in the break room. 

Tyler was bored. Almost two hours had passed since Enid left for class and the last he’d spoken to Wednesday. He still had plenty of time before he had to sneak out, which sucked because there was nothing to do! Wednesday owned a cast collection of books but only brought a few with her to Nevermore. He wouldn't even call himself much of a reader anyway, but there weren't many options for passing the time. 

He had looked around, curious of the space he never got to be in due to the rules for him being a guy and a normie. It was somehow simultaneously just as he expected it to look yet different. Right down to the separation of each side, greatly signifying the striking personality differences.

He found an extra toothbrush beneath the shared sink, using that after he finished the sandwich Thing came back with. He didn't know crap about braiding hair so he'd just have to deal with the loose strands. He didn't have to think about changing clothes for now. He could stick with the ones she went to bed in. They were surprisingly comfortable. 

 It was sort of strange being in a body like this. Softer, smaller. It was also sort of awakening in an interesting way, like yeah, this was how Wednesday saw the world. 

It wasn't the worst thing to happen to him. Weird, sure. Slightly inconvenient, yeah probably. But other than that- 

Tyler glanced over at Enid's computer. It was a laptop like his was. Baby pink with a few stickers scattered here and there. He knew he shouldn't, but he needed something to do. 

Glancing at Thing, he said, "What’s Enid’s password?” 

Ajax’s birthday , Thing supplied. 

He knew who Thing was referring to. He’d never engaged in a conversation with the guy other than to take his order, but he came in with Enid on occasion. Sitting across from each other, acting really shy until something broke the ice. 

So he subtly watched them. And others. 

Sue him. 

Listening in on conversations granted him the password because he’d overheard Enid talk about it before. Tyler went to grab it, bringing it back to Wednesday's bed and got himself comfortable. After putting in the code, he clicked on the google icon. 

“Wanna watch something?” He asked Thing. 

The hand readily agreed, and soon Tyler found himself being a pillow for Thing, who perched himself on his shoulder. 

“Let’s see...” He muttered, scrolling through the countless titles. 

Wednesday was this close to losing it. 

This old woman had been squinting up at the menu for the last five minutes, unable to make up her mind. She made contemplative noises that slowly stripped away every single one of her nerves. 

Her jaw clenched while she waited and waited . 

The woman’s face all scrunched up, she looked to Wednesday and said, “What do you recommend, young man?” 

“I recommend that you decide what you want prior to approaching the counter,” Wednesday snapped. “I don’t believe that’s too much to ask for!” 

The woman gasped, holding her handbag up to her chest. “Why, I never!” On that note, she marched out of there, muttering furiously to herself about the youth of today on her way out. 

Wednesday was keenly aware of the eyes from other customers on her. Or, more accurately, Tyler . They were used to his mild-mannered nature, sweet smiles and attempt at small talk. She had no patience to do any of those things. 

“Galpin,” the manager who she did not bother to learn the name of said through grit teeth. “Come here. Kelsey, watch the counter.” 

Soon-To-Be-Rotting-Corpse glanced nervously at Wednesday, sliding past Tyler’s body without touching this time. 

Good. 

Wednesday followed the manager to the back room, her face impassive. 

“What is going on with you?” The manager was gripping a clipboard. Wednesday opened her mouth but he shushed her. “You know what? I don’t care. Just stop snapping at the customers or we’ll have a problem. Is that clear?” 

“Crystal,” she sneered. 

“Watch it, Galpin,” the manager growled and stormed out of there.  

“What’d you think of that?” Tyler said during the end credits of The Sandlot . 

Thing gave it a thumbs up. 

“I know you probably don’t get many chances to watch stuff when you’re with Wednesday, so you're more than welcome to come to my house to watch more,” Tyler offered. 

Thing was a good....err, hand, to watch movies with. Wednesday had a habit of talking through a movie to criticize whatever she didn’t like. 

Better delete all that , Tyler thought. He didn’t know if Enid ever checked her search history, but it definitely wouldn’t look right if ‘Wednesday’ was suddenly using technology. 

He was in the middle of checking off everything he was getting rid of when something caught his eye. 

It was a search entry from three days ago at two-thirty in the morning. 

What are the causes of fluttering within the stomach? 

That was a little unusual. And there were more underneath it. 

What is the significance of being called baby girl? 

How to stop one’s face from flushing? 

Is flushing in the face noticeable? 

When is the correct time to tell a significant other that you love them? 

The grammar and punctuation all pointed to Wednesday. Tyler had to bite his cheek to stop the beam from splitting his face open. 

It was honestly the cutest thing, and he knew she'd hate to hear that. 

Wednesday sneaking onto the computer in the middle of the night was a funny thought. She obviously didn’t realize that she’d have to clear the search history. He doubted she would just leave it there. 

More importantly than that, she loved him, or was at least thinking about it. 

He’d known that she liked him, that she was attracted to him. But hearing any sort of I love you or even an implication of it felt like it would be a long way off. He didn’t mind, and didn't fault her for that. He knew it would take time for her and that was okay. 

He never thought it would happen so soon. 

Thing tapped him on the arm, gesturing to his mouth. 

Oh, right. He was smiling again. 

“Sorry,” Tyler went ahead and deleted Wednesday’s searches too so Enid didn’t come across them. “Did you know about that?” 

Thing seemed to nod. Albeit reluctantly. 

“I thought she didn’t want to be a slave to technology?” 

She said she needed to know , Thing explained, crawling nearer to the screen. Did you really call her baby girl? 

Tyler blushed. It was a half-joking, half-serious spur of the moment thing. Their kisses were usually chaste. Wednesday did not have any experience in relationships, plus she was still getting used to affection so he didn’t want to push her too fast. But that one day had been different. It was heavier, full of passion and desire. Wednesday had been putting just as much into it as he’d been. 

The words just slipped out . 

“You like that, baby girl?” He murmured. 

Wednesday hadn’t taken it... well . Within seconds, she held his throat in her grasp, threatening to end his existence right there should he ever call her something so degrading and juvenile ever again. 

Needless to say, he got the message. 

“Yeah....” He winced. 

And you’re still alive ? Thing said in disbelief. 

“Guess she was feeling generous,” he joked. “Don’t worry, she almost strangled me for it. Told me she’d end me if I ever called her that again.” 

He gazed back at the screen where the searches had been. He wondered what secrets this device held of her secret google uses in the dead of night. 

Wednesday aggressively washed out a coffee mug. The manager had temporarily put her to work on dishes instead of staying at the counter given that her customer service was less than exemplary. 

It hadn’t been her fault they were all idiots. 

Her back was facing the front so she didn’t see who was coming in and out of the shop. She heard it open, heard footsteps approaching the counter, but didn’t know who it was until they had spoken. 

“Yo, Ty, what’s up?” 

Wednesday’s washing came to a halt. That was Lucas Walker. He and Tyler were back on friendly terms, rekindling their friendship while excluding Jonah and Carter. Lucas had tried to extend a truce to her; she had no interest in any more acquaintances. She had enough as is. 

“Ty?” Lucas repeated. 

“What?” Wednesday dried her hands, shooting him a look of annoyance. 

Lucas held up his hands. “Just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Why do you care?” Wednesday scoffed, tossing the towel aside. 

“Chill, man,” Lucas frowned. “You having a bad day or something? You fight with your old man? Kelsey posted on snapchat that you were a little...moody today.” 

Wednesday had no idea what this ‘snapchat’ was, but was filled with indignation at being talked about, even though it was technically not about her. 

“She did, did she?” She said icily, coming up with plenty of ways to make that blasted girl pay. 

Lucas looked a little uneasy now. “Are you okay?” He said persistently. “Are you and Wednesday okay? You know you can talk to me...right?” 

“We’re perfectly fine.” 

“Okay...but you could sound a little happier, you know.” 

“You don’t think I’m happy?” 

Lucas stared back at him weirdly. “You look like Wednesday right now, man.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She demanded. 

“Hey, don’t come at me. It’s just your face.” 

“My face?” She said dully. 

“Seems like she’s rubbing off you,” he said humorously. 

She did not find it funny at all. 

“Listen,” he switched gears, “if you wanna hang out later, we could meet up around seven for COD? I’ll order us pizza.” 

Pizza and fish? Is this what Tyler did when he was off doing typical teenage boy things?

“Perhaps,” she said. She wouldn’t be doing any of that, but she also didn’t know if Tyler would want to. 

“Perhaps?” He snorted. “Yeah, she definitely rubbed off on you.”  

Ah, yes, She is supposed to be convincing. 

“Maybe,” she corrected herself. 

“Okay,” Lucas was still snickering. “See you later, Ty.” 

Wednesday didn’t say anything as he left. 

Enid would be back any minute. 

Tyler had to get dressed. The laptop was put back in its spot, everything shut down like it had been. He was now in Wednesday’s walk-in closet, deciding on something to wear. 

Something with pants . 

So far, he saw dresses. Black ones, of course. And there was no way in hell Tyler was wearing a dress. 

Over there , Thing noticed how he was pushing the hangers to one side in his search for something suitable to wear and helped him, pointing to the back corner. 

Tyler sighed in relief, taking a pair of jeans and a black-and-white striped shirt with him to the bathroom to change. 

Wait! Thing ran in front of him. Tyler swore loudly after nearly stepping on him. 

“What?” 

You forgot something , Thing hinted. 

Tyler blinked. “What did I forget?” 

Thing motioned, but unfortunately Tyler had no idea what he was referring to. The hand seemed to sigh. He got the impression Thing would have if he could have. Skittering back to the closet, he soon returned with a plain looking black bra . 

For obvious reasons, Tyler did not have experience with one. He took it gingerly, muttering a thank you before departing behind the bathroom door. 

For a while, he stared at the mirror, Wednesday’s sweet face reflecting back to him. 

Okay. Okay . This was simple enough. He was pretty sure all he had to do was unhook it, put it on and hook it back up. 

Simple. 

Wednesday so owes me for putting me through this , he thought with exasperation. 

He tried not to look at her bare breasts while he did so. He’d wanted to do it one day when they were both ready for it. Not him stuck in her body. 

Well, what seemed simple was anything but . He’d put it on, but found that Wednesday’s arms were not long enough to reach back and hook it. He groaned in frustration, his arms aching until he had to let them drop down. 

This was ridiculous. How did Wednesday do this every day? 

“Come on, come on,” he muttered while trying again. “Come on!” It took him longer than it should have. Eventually he came out of there, dressed but with the braids messy. Definitely un-Wednesday-like. Thing pointed this out to him but he shook his head. 

“I don’t know how to braid. She’ll have to deal with it.” 

She’s not going to be happy , Thing said. 

“I know,” he sighed. 

Enid came back just then. “Oh, you’re up!” She said happily, shutting the door behind her. “Are you feeling better?” 

“Yes...” Tyler said, trying to figure out the best route to go with this. “Enid, I need a favor.” 

“What kind of favor?” This stopped her in her tracks. 

“I need to sneak out,” he said. “Is-” What was the name of the headmistress again? “Weems around?” 

“I don’t think so. I haven’t seen her,” Enid frowned. “When are you leaving?” 

“Soon,” Tyler said. “Are you going into Jericho today?” 

“Wednesday!” Enid whined. “I told you me and Ajax are going out on a date! Weren’t you listening?” 

“No,” Tyler said. Wednesday probably wouldn’t have. 

Enid groaned. “You’re going to take the shuttle, right?” 

Tyler frowned. He didn’t think Wednesday would willingly do it, not when she’d have to be in close proximity to other people. 

“Wednesday! You really should since you weren’t feeling good earlier. Right, Thing?” Enid’s head swiveled over to where Thing was. 

Thing agreed. 

“You shouldn’t overexert yourself,” Enid reasoned. “Tyler would tell you the same thing.” 

True , Tyler thought. Still, Wednesday wouldn’t be so agreeable so easily. He folded his arms, not saying anything. 

Enid went to her closet to change out of her uniform and into something else. “You can walk with me and Ajax!” She called over her shoulder. 

Tyler exchanged a look with Thing.

Chapter Text

Enid and Ajax went to the back of the shuttle to sit. Tyler chose a spot in the middle, glancing out the window. Other Nevermore students were boarding, talking amongst themselves. He’d taken Enid up on her offer, seeing as he didn’t know his way around for obvious reasons. It was pretty cool. He had to subtly look around so it wouldn’t look weird for ‘Wednesday’ to be peering around like she’d never seen the place before. 

One of the last people that came on the shuttle was Xavier . Tyler swore to himself, barely holding back a groan. Thorpe never missed an opportunity to talk to Wednesday, so he’d probably try it again now. 

“Hey,” Xavier greeted. “Can I sit here?” 

Tyler glared up at him. “No.” 

He made to move away from the window seat, sliding over to fully block Thorpe from being able to sit down but he wasn’t quick enough. He was trapped next to him now. 

“What’s with your hair?” Xavier raised his eyebrows. 

“What’s with yours?” Tyler retorted. It wasn’t the wittiest comeback but whatever. 

Xavier chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. “Touché. Seems we’re both having bad hair days.” 

No, Tyler would wager to say that Wednesday was probably just having a bad day period .  

“Missed you in class today,” Xavier said casually. “I can’t believe you actually stayed in bed.” 

Tyler firmly kept his gaze on the outside. 

“I guess you’re feeling better...?” Xavier tried to get ‘her’ engaged in the conversation. 

“I suppose so or we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Tyler said, annoyed. 

Xavier must be used to Wednesday’s disdain for him, or just oblivious. He snickered again, flipping open a thick sketchbook. It wasn’t that Tyler was at all curious about what was inside, he really wouldn’t have cared at all if it wasn’t for catching sight of familiar braids. 

Even worse, he recognized the way ‘she’ was standing. Hands clasped, feet together, a loose piece of hair over ‘her’ forehead while standing in front of the staircase. 

That was him . 

He’d followed Enid and they'd had to wait for Ajax. Apparently, he’d taken a shower and lost track of time. All the while, Enid had talked his ear off, nervously shifting from foot to foot. Tyler hadn’t known that Thorpe was watching him from afar. 

If he was doing it today, had he done it to Wednesday on prior occasions? Did she know that she was being drawn? 

“What is this ?” Tyler demanded.

Xavier’s eyes followed his, seemingly showing no embarrassment or remorse for being caught. “Oh, yeah,” he said like they’d just been talking about hamburger toppings. “I saw you standing there and I couldn’t resist, you know.” 

Was he expecting Wednesday to feel flattered? It felt creepy being the one Thorpe had actually drawn, coupled with the fact that he was openly drawing Wednesday despite her resistance at interacting with him. Could he not get a hint? 

And well, Tyler was not just going to be okay with some prick drawing his girlfriend like that. Especially when that prick was Xavier Thorpe. 

“I mean,” Xavier continued, oblivious to the anger on Wednesday’s face, “this one kinda sucks because I was trying to get the outline in fast. But I have another one that came out better.” He flipped back a few pages to a finished portrait. Tyler was able to easily decipher that Wednesday was in one of her classes based on the top half of her uniform, glaring ahead. 

“When was this?” 

“The other day,” Xavier shrugged. 

“I didn’t say you could draw me.” 

Xavier cracked a grin like ‘Wednesday’ had told him a funny joke. “I’ve been drawing you since last year. I didn’t think you cared anymore.” 

“I care,” Tyler said coldly. He didn’t have to play up any anger this time so Wednesday would sound like herself; it was all real and if he would’ve had the strength he did in his own body, Thorpe’s face would be satisfyingly smashed by now. 

“Since when?” Xavier rolled his eyes. “Is it Galpin? He’s not the boss of you, you know.” 

Xavier clearly didn’t know her well enough if he really thought she’d let herself be bossed around by anybody. 

When he didn’t say anything, Xavier lowered his voice, leaning further into his personal space. “Is Galpin treating you right? You can tell me if he isn’t.” 

Tyler was completely offended by the insinuation. He would never hurt Wednesday. 

“He’s never done anything to me.” 

“You don’t have to protect him,” Xavier was just not getting it . “We can talk to Weems about it later. She’ll do something about it.” 

“I don’t need to talk to Weems,” Tyler said through grit teeth. 

Xavier sighed softly, looking at ‘her’ with pity. “I told you he was bad news,” he said. “He’s got a temper, Wednesday. I knew he’d show you who he really is eventually.” 

Tyler bit back some choice words. He didn’t have a temper anymore, not since working on himself since he was hauled off to boot camp. And another thing; he’d never let his temper loose on Wednesday. They’d had some arguments, sure, but Tyler always calmed himself down. He’d never allow himself to lash out at her. 

“Just think about what I said,” Xavier said, eyeing a piece of ‘her’ hair that fell in front of Tyler’s face. Without thinking, the artist reached over to brush it back, his finger caressing along her skin. 

Tyler was horrified to experience this. And then angry that he’d touch ‘Wednesday’ without permission. 

“Okay?” Xavier pressed, waiting for a confirmation, seeing his actions as no big deal. 

Tyler glared at him, huffing through his nose. 

“ Ow!” 

Tyler’s manager ordered her to clean up the tables and booths, deciding that ‘he’ had enough time at the counter for today. It was only knowing that Tyler couldn’t afford to get fired that kept Wednesday from saying something about this. He would never accept any money from her willingly, so she’d tried to leave it around in his room or car but it always ended up back in her possession. 

The Sheriff came in around this time, halting just shortly after entering. Wednesday narrowed her eyes, anticipating another fight would come out of this interaction. “Ty,” he approached with a gusty sigh. “Listen, Bud, I don’t want to fight with you.” Wednesday said nothing, she did nothing, only staring at him, keeping her face impassive. “Let’s just forget about this morning, okay?” 

Then the sheriff did something that Wednesday would need amnesia to rid from her mind forever. He hugged her. 

Or rather, he believed he was hugging his son. Wednesday went stiff in the half-hug, refraining with all her might not to throw this man onto the floor. 

It was then that she noticed Tyler was there, staring straight at them with her own wide eyes. 

Tyler was so stunned he didn’t know whether to laugh or not. 

His father was hugging Wednesday, though this was all unbeknownst to him. He just knew this was a moment he’d hold onto forever, the priceless expression on his girlfriend’s face was enough to make this experience worth it . 

“Ah, Addams,” his father said when Tyler walked over to them. “I should’ve known you’d be here eventually.” 

Tyler made eye contact with Wednesday, silently asking her if they should tell his dad now or just keep it a secret. Wednesday softly sighed, giving her consent for him to be told. 

“Come with me,” Wednesday grabbed Donovan by the elbow. He was caught off guard by this, and tried to get himself relinquished from her grasp. 

“What’s the matter?” 

Wednesday did not take well to not being listened to. Using her newfound straight from Tyler’s body, she was able to easily pull him along to follow her into the breakroom. All the while, his dad reacted angrily. 

“What the hell are you doing, Tyler? Let go of me!” 

Tyler accompanied them from behind, forgetting himself momentarily when he gave his gaping manager and Kelsey, who were staring at this unusual spectacle, a smile. 

The break room door was shut once all three of them were inside. Wednesday let go of his father, while Tyler stood with his back against the door, watching them both. 

“Do either of you want to tell me what’s going on?” Donovan demanded. 

“Uh, well, Dad-” Tyler started. 

Donovan whirled around, staring at ‘Wednesday’ in bewilderment. “ Dad ?” 

“Yes,” Wednesday said, making his voice sound dull. Tyler took a second to think; did he really sound like, sans her purposely flat tone? 

“I don’t know what you two are trying to pull this time, but-” 

“We’re not trying to pull anything,” Tyler shook his head. “We woke up in the wrong bodies, Dad. I swear.” 

“Wrong bodies?” Donovan repeated. He didn’t believe them. Hell, Tyler probably wouldn’t have believed this was possible until today. 

“Yes,” Tyler nodded vigorously. “We’re not lying. We don’t know how it happened yet, that's why I snuck out of Nevermore so we could-” 

Donovan put a hand up to silence him. “Enough of that. Tyler-” He looked at Wednesday this time. “Get back to work. And Addams, behave yourself. I don’t have time for this. I’ve got to get back to the station.” 

“Dad!” Tyler exclaimed. He couldn’t let him get away just yet. 

“Stop that,” Donovan ordered, obviously not liking hearing the title from Wednesday's mouth. “Both of you quit it right now, understand?” 

Tyler pressed his back against the door, effectively blocking his dad from leaving. Donovan glared at him, trying to open the door anyway. It was harder to keep it shut in Wednesday’s body because of the strength difference from his own. He found himself being pushed along with the door, until Wednesday shut it with her--err, his--hand. 

“What’s the matter with you two today?” Donovan was visibly fed-up. 

Tyler did the only thing he knew to do. The same thing he did with Thing; repeat something only his dad and himself would know. “Before I left for bootcamp, that night when you found out what happened and that I wasn’t going to jail for Thorpe’s mural, you told me Mom would be really disappointed in me.” Donovan’s face changed instantly. Mostly out of shock. “You said that out of all the stupid things I’ve done, this was the worst and I was just lucky Mom wasn’t here to see me like this.” 

Wednesday, to put it plainly, looked furious. “Tyler,” she said, her voice far too calm, “prepare yourself. You are about to become an orphan.” 

Tyler put up his arm to shield his father. “Don’t,” he warned her. 

“There is no excuse for what he said!” 

“Wednesday,” he sighed, momentarily ignoring the emotions crossing his dad’s face, “it was a while ago. And besides, I probably deserved it. I told you I was one of those bitter townies,” he shrugged. “I wasn’t lying.” 

“Stop doing that,” she ordered. “It is unbecoming.” 

“You mean stop that in your body.” 

“Precisely.” 

He shrugged again. This time to get on her nerves. “Eh, I’d rather not.” 

His dad was rubbing his head. “You mean to tell me you and Addams really did switch bodies?” 

“Yes,” they both said at the same time.

“Hold on, that means-” Donovan shared a look of distaste with Wednesday. 

“You hugged Wednesday?” Tyler said with a wicked grin. “Yep!” 

“Quit looking at me like that,” Donovan was just as creeped out by the uncharacteristic smile on Wednesday’s face just as much as despised it. His father heaved a sigh, rubbing his temples. “I need a drink after dealing with you two.” 

Tyler shrugged. That was fair. 

“You two better fix this,” Donovan pointed at them both. “I’m not living with Addams.” 

“I assure you I wouldn’t want to occupy the same residence as you either,” Wednesday said without missing a beat. 

Tyler knew he’d have to be truthful here. There was no guarantee they would go back to their respective bodies tonight . “Uh, Dad,” he grimaced. “I don’t know if we’ll figure it out today.” 

“Are you insulting my intelligence?” Wednesday demanded. 

“We don’t know what caused it.” 

“But I will find out,” she said, still offended that he dared to be realistic. 

“I’m just telling him incase-” 

“There’s no need to say anything.” 

“Enough,” Donovan groaned at the same time his phone chimed. Taking a glance at it, he said, “Listen, I’ve got to get back to the station. And when I get back home, my son better be there.” He looked right at Wednesday with narrowed eyes. On that note, Tyler moved away from the door so he could leave, hearing his dad mutter about how things used to be quiet around town before Wednesday arrived. 

Letting out a long breath, Tyler looked up at her. “We really do need to fix this. Only problem is I don’t get off for another few hours.” Then, with dread, he remembered all about his job, that is, if he still had it. “Please tell me you didn’t get me fired.” 

“You have little faith in me,” Wednesday complained. 

“I know you,” he corrected. “There’s a reason why you don’t have a job.” 

“I don’t have a job because there is no reason for me to have one. My family has more than enough money.” 

Tyler hid his snicker. Wednesday never bragged about her family’s wealth. Usually, she couldn’t care less. But occasionally out came little hints about her being a rich kid. Like now. “Right.” 

Wednesday took in his appearance. She evidently did not like what she saw. “Do not tell me you went into public like that.” 

“What?” Tyler then remembered, making a face that was semi-apologetic. “Oh. I can’t braid.” 

“You could have tried!” 

“Forget that,” Tyler said, shaking his head. There was something else she needed to hear. “Did you know that Xavier’s been drawing you?” 

“Did you speak to him?” Wednesday questioned. “I told you not to-” 

“He sat with me on the shuttle,” Tyler cut her off. “Trust me, I didn’t want to.” 

Wednesday was slightly less annoyed upon hearing this. At least, annoyance that was directed at him. “I’m aware.” 

“He drew me, well, he thought it was you, earlier,” Tyler explained. 

“When would he have had the chance to do that?” 

“When me and Enid were waiting for Ajax. I had to go with her. It’s not like I know my way around there,” he said and then added, semi-apologetically, “You’re probably gonna get detention, by the way.” 

She narrowed her eyes. 

“I tried to break Xavier’s wrist,” Tyler admitted. He’d been surprised at the amount of strength Wednesday had. So did Xavier. His cry of pain got the attention of the whole shuttle. The driver ordered ‘her’ to sit up front for the remainder of the drive, with a promise that Principal Weems would be informed.  

She was relatively unperturbed. “I’m certainly not upset, but I am curious as to why you did it.” 

“He touched you,” Tyler said with a scowl. 

She raised her eyebrows. “In what way?” 

“He-” Tyler shuddered. He’d probably never forget what it felt like to have the artists’ hand on him, to have such an expression of adoration aimed at him. “He pushed your hair back out of your face. I hope he’s never tried to touch you like that--stop looking at me like that! It’s not funny!” 

Wednesday was openly smirking. “Actually, it’s quite amusing.” 

“For you .” 

“Exactly.” 

His girlfriend thrived on the misery of others. He should have known. “Do you really think we’ll get it all figured out today?” He asked quietly, sucking in a breath in anticipation. 

“Of course we will,” Wednesday said firmly, making his muscles relax. “There’s no need to panic.”

“Okay,” Tyler said, relieved. “But how? I mean, how do we even begin to fix this?” 

“We’ll have to get a hold of Uncle Fester,” Wednesday said. 

“I thought he was on the run again?” Tyler wondered. 

“He’s hiding in one of the nearby towns,” she clarified. “He should have some insight on what’s causing this.” 

“And if you can’t get a hold of him?” Tyler said pessimistically. “Why don’t you just call your parents?” 

“ No ,” Wednesday shot that down right away. “They cannot know anything about this.” 

“Why?” 

“I want my parents to know as little of my business as possible.” 

“Now’s not a time to be stubborn, Wednesday,” Tyler sighed in frustration. “What if your uncle can’t help us?” 

“He will,” she said decisively. 

“You exhaust me,” he muttered, a fond smile peeking out. This would be one of those times he’d kiss her, but he really didn’t have a desire to kiss himself so he’d pass on that for now. 

“I would be disappointed if I didn't,” she replied. 

“Why does Kelsey look so freaked out?” Tyler whispered suspiciously. 

Without waiting for permission for her, or rather Tyler’s, break, Wednesday accompanied him to their regular booth so they could discuss this further. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the girl look their way only to quickly shift her gaze. 

“That isn’t important,” Wednesday dismissed. 

“What did you do?” Tyler sighed. 

“She did it to herself.” 

“I just can’t leave you alone, can I?” he grumbled. 

“She was harassing you,” Wednesday hissed. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“She wanted you to attend a party and was quite persistent about it.” 

“And what did you say to her?” Tyler sat back, his arms crossed. 

“Should we be dwelling on that when we have bigger problems?” She retorted. 

“ Wednesday !” Tyler said reproachfully. She kicked him under the table. 

“Do you want them to hear us?” Wednesday said pointedly, moving Tyler’s head in the direction of his manager and that other girl. “We must refrain from using each other’s names for the time being.” 

Tyler realized his mistake. “Oh, right.” 

“We’ll have to wait until tonight to enact our plan,” she continued. “You will have to use my crystal ball to call Uncle Fester.” 

“Is he gonna have one with him?” Tyler asked. “A crystal ball, I mean.” 

“Of course. He never leaves home without it.” 

“Right,” Tyler said after a pause. “So what , I’m just supposed to wait again?” 

“There isn’t any other option,” Wednesday didn’t like it anymore than he did. She would rather jump into action now but she had the rest of his shift to get through. She supposed it wouldn’t be so bad if she got to terrify some more normies before she left his body. It was amusing to see the reaction ‘Tyler’ being out of sorts received. “I’ll come pick you up later. You’ll have to sneak out. Climb down the balcony and get over the gate. I’ll be waiting.” 

“Okay- wait ,” Tyler suddenly looked panicked. “Did you drive my car here?” 

“Yes, of course.” 

Tyler made various noises for about thirty seconds. “ How ?” He gawked at her. “I didn’t think you could drive.” 

“It isn’t that difficult.” She neglected to mention the four dents and cracked window she’d inadvertently caused on the way over. 

Tyler blew out a long breath. “Okay. I guess we don’t have a choice on that. But what do you think it is? Like some weird spell or something?” 

“It’s obviously a spell,” Wednesday said. “I just cannot think of a reason for it to have occurred.” She racked her brain, thinking back to any previous encounters they may have had in the last few days. She came up with nothing. 

Tyler sighed. “Great.” She could hear him tapping his foot under the table. “So how was your morning?” 

“You cannot be asking me that.” 

He shrugged. Wednesday bit back a remark on that. “Just wondering how it went. By the way, do I want to know why my dad was hugging you in the first place?” 

“He thought he was hugging you.” 

“You’re stalling.” 

Wednesday scowled at being called out. “Your father was displeased with your attitude this morning.” Tyler groaned. “And made it quite clear that if it did not improve, he would be taking away your car.” 

“You’re unbelievable,” Tyler looked close to strangling her. She wouldn’t have been opposed to him trying. It would be interesting to see the outcome. “At least he knows the truth now. Is there anything else I should know about?” 

“Yes,” she responded. “I will be purchasing suitable clothing for you once we are back in our correct bodies.” He rolled his eyes. “You have a terrible selection.” 

“Not what I meant.” 

“I have been forced into wearing blue ,” Wednesday said crankily. She’d never worn any color in all her life up until today. 

“Technically, I’m the one wearing it.” 

“Now is not the time to focus on the semantics.” 

“I don’t know what to tell you,” he said. “It’s not like my day was any easier.” 

“Is that so?” She scoffed. 

“Do you know how long I struggled trying to get your bra on?” Tyler shook his head as if pushing away the memories. 

“I shouldn’t be surprised to hear of your incompetence.” 

“Right, because I’ve had plenty of experience,” he smiled sarcastically. “You got off easy.” 

“Perhaps,” she said. “That reminds me; before we switch back, I’ll need some time set aside to further study your appendage.” 

She watched her own face screw up in confusion. “My appendage?” 

“Your penis, of course,” she clarified. “I intend to examine it.” 

“You want to examine it?” He smirked. 

“There is no need to think like that,” she chided him, knowing where his mind went. “It is purely for scientific purposes.” 

“ Mhm .” 

“I’ll have you know that every time you make one of your idiot comments, it further cements the idea that I should have declined your request for a relationship.” 

“There’s nothing you can say to ruin this moment for me,” Tyler informed her smugly. 

On any other day, Wednesday would have reached for the nearest weapon, but alas, she had none while in Tyler’s body. She must have shown her irritation on his face, giving away what she’d been about to do, for he snickered at her misfortune. 

“At least I know you can’t stab me for a while.” 

Wednesday wasn’t used to going without any weapons on her person. She’d always had a knife or something ever since she was a young child. To go without made her feel naked. “Give me one of the knives from my backpack.” Tyler wouldn’t have thought to strap one on himself, but she knew there were a few hidden in there. 

“Oh,” Tyler said and she knew she wasn’t going to like it. “I forgot to bring it.” 

Wednesday sighed hard . “How could you have forgotten? I bring it everywhere.”

“I wasn’t thinking about it,” he answered. “Besides, my dad will blow a gasket if he finds out you have one.” 

“He shouldn’t, now that he knows it’s not truly you in this body.” 

“Well, surprisingly he doesn’t really like you having any sharp objects,” Tyler said sarcastically. 

“He needs to get over that.” 

“Sure, go tell him that. See how that works out,” Tyler snorted. The noise disgusted Wednesday. Seeing these strange expressions and sounds come from her were unsettling. It wasn’t right. Not at all. 

“By the way,” Wednesday recalled something that came to mind. “Your friend Lucas stopped by. I figured it would be pertinent to tell you.” 

“What’d he stop by for?” Tyler asked. 

“The reasoning does not matter,” Wednesday brushed over that. “He did invite you to eat pizza and fish with him later this evening. If we’re able to switch back in time, you might be able to attend.” 

Tyler stared at her strangely. “What?” 

“I’m not going to repeat myself.” 

“Did you say pizza and fish?” Tyler said slowly, blinking. 

“Yes.” 

“Uh, okay,” Tyler said. 

“I found it rather strange myself. I didn’t realize you liked cod fish,” she remarked. 

Wednesday was not happy when he burst out laughing. Or, more accurately, she watched herself laugh. That was not an experience she wanted to ever repeat. 

“Stop it!” She said through grit teeth. Several pairs of eyes were on Tyler. They’d seen enough of Wednesday to find it odd that she was acting this way in public. 

“I’m sorry,” Tyler said with tears visible in his eyes. He dropped his head in his arms, shoulders still shaking with laughter. “I’m sorry, but that’s not what Lucas meant.” 

“Well, what did he mean?” Wednesday said irritatedly. 

Tyler was still giggling slightly when he lifted his head, wiping his eyes. “COD is short for Call of Duty. It’s a video game.” 

“Oh,” Wednesday felt rather foolish. But how was she supposed to know that? 

“It’s okay,” Tyler was biting back a broad grin. “I love you.” 

Away from prying eyes, Tyler and Wednesday were outside on the corner. 

“You remember what the plan is, yes?” She asked him. 

“Yeah,” he nodded. 

“And you remember how to use the crystal ball, yes ?” 

She’d given him instructions which mostly made sense. It sounded easy enough. He just hoped it was easy in person too. “Yeah,” he repeated. “Don’t worry.” 

She looked doubtful. “Very well. You may go.” 

“Without a hug?” That part was meant as a joke. It was actually kind of weird to...hug himself. Really, it had been weird the more he’d had to look at himself like this across from her at the booth. 

“I suppose that would be alright,” she said like it was a chore. 

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” Tyler deadpanned. 

“I wouldn’t.” 

Tyler didn’t realize how much taller he was than Wednesday until now. The shoes helped. Gave him some added height. But he was still only up to her--his, technically--chest. The hug was quick. It must have felt awkward for her too. She stepped backwards, her face unreadable. 

“What?” 

“I’m starting to see the appeal of this situation,” she said lightly. 

“Meaning?” 

“It’s quite nice to see things from a different perspective for a change.” 

“Don’t get used to it,” he teased her. “You’ll be short again soon enough.” 

He turned on his heel to leave, but Wednesday grabbed him back. Before he could question it, she murmured, “I just want to try something.” 

Oh . 

“Okay,” Tyler said, wondering what that might be. “Go ahead.” 

Wednesday studied him, then she jammed her elbow into his shoulder, leaning into him. He yelped. “What the hell are you doing?” 

“You've done the same thing to me,” she said. 

“First of all, I don’t do it like that. And second, get off me!”
She did, rolling her eyes. “I don’t see why you’re complaining.” 

“It hurt! ” 

“It’s your elbow. I’m giving you a taste of your own medicine, as they say.” 

“I;m pretty sure you bruised me,” he rubbed the spot. 

“Technically, I would have bruised myself.” 

Up ahead, he could see other Nevermore students walking to where the shuttle would be picking them up. “I guess I’d better go. 

“Yes,” Wednesday said, looking that same way. “Tyler?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Don't screw this up.” 

“I won’t....Pumpkin.” He quickly walked away, satisfied at the look of anger he was surely on the receiving end of. 

Chapter Text

Tyler sat in front of Wednesday’s crystal ball, trying to remember what she’d said to do. He’d never used one of these before, never even seen one in person until today. 

The dorm was once again empty except for him and Thing. Enid was off to study for an upcoming test in History of Outcasts. She offered ‘Wednesday’ the chance to come along, though she did warn that Bianca Barclay was going to be there. Tyler knew that the other girl and his girlfriend weren’t exactly on friendly terms. Wednesday had complained of her before, seething after the siren was able to beat her in fencing on two separate occasions.  

Off to the side, Thing watched him, tapping his fingers on the desk. What are you waiting for? 

“I forgot how to call someone,” Tyler admitted. “What do you do again?” 

Thing tapped twice against the crystal ball. Now say who you want to call . 

“Uh-” Tyler’s stomach swirled with nerves. “Uncle Fester...?” It came out as a question. 

The crystal ball filled with white smoke, her uncle’s face appearing out of nowhere. “Well hello there, kiddo!” He boomed. “It’s been a while.” 

“Uh...hi,” Tyler said lamely. “Listen, this is gonna sound weird but I’m not Wednesday. It’s Tyler. You remember me, right?” 

Fester rubbed his chin, unfazed by what he was just told. “Tyler...Tyler...nope, doesn’t ring a bell.” 

“I’m Wednesday’s boyfriend,” Tyler tried again. 

Fester suddenly grinned, showing off jagged teeth. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?” 

“No,” Tyler said hurriedly in case he might end the call. “I swear I’m not. Remember, we met once when you came to visit Wednesday?” 

It took another couple of seconds for Fester’s eyes to light up. “That’s right! I remember you now. The jumpy one.” 

“Right,” Tyler muttered, recalling the various ways Fester had spooked him that day. “Well, uh, me and Wednesday- we kinda  switched bodies.” 

“Well, how about that!” Fester exclaimed. 

“.....Yeah,” Tyler said, glancing at Thing. “Wednesday told me to call you. She thinks it’s a spell and you can help us fix things.” 

Thing made his presence known to Fester by this point. He was signing fast , Tyler couldn’t even keep up with him. He thought maybe Thing was helping but then he and Fester started arguing and well, that went down the drain. 

“That’s not true!” Fester exclaimed. “When did I do that?” 

Thing pressed his middle finger right against the crystal ball. 

“Thing,” Tyler said with a bit of a groan. “You’re not helping-” 

“You are one ungrateful little digit!” Fester huffed. “I got you out of there, didn’t I?” 

“Um,” Tyler interjected before this could go any further, “no offense, Sir, but I really do need your help.” 

Fester still grumbled indignantly, to which Thing signed something pretty vulgar in response. 

Tyler waited for them to sort out first, his leg-or rather, Wednesday’s technically-shaking impatiently under the table.

“My dear niece is correct. It’s probably a spell,” Fester said. 

“But how? And why? This happened out of nowhere,” Tyler said, confused. 

“Have you made any wishes lately?” Fester asked, tapping his fingers together inquisitively. 

“No...I don’t think so.” He was pretty sure he’d remember doing that. 

“Hmm,” Fester said. “Do you know if Wednesday made any?” 

“She didn’t,” Tyler was certain of that. 

“Well, that makes things a little difficult, now doesn’t it?” Fester rubbed his chin. 

“We’ll be able to switch back... right ?” Tyler said desperately. He really didn’t think he could survive like this. One thing’s for sure, if he had to stay in her body longer, it’d be harder for them to get in the mood , so to speak. Harder for him, anyway. He didn’t think he could handle kissing himself . 

“Oh, you’ll be able to,” Fester said with a dismissive wave. Tyler relaxed. “It’ll be a little harder but doable.” 

As long as they could , then that was fine. 

“What was the last thing you did before this happened?” 

“Uh, well, I was sleeping and woke up like this,” Tyler started to say, only for Fester to start motioning him to stop, so he did. 

“No, no! What did you do before that!” 

“Oh,” Tyler said. “Well, I hung out with Wednesday last night.” 

It was nothing out of the ordinary for them, just a movie of his choosing and a walk in the dark. For sometime, they’d walked in silence which was fine, they didn’t need to say anything to fill it in. 

But that wouldn’t have caused this, would it? Tyler frowned, a crease in the middle of ‘his’ forehead. 

He thought harder, picking apart the entire interaction to make sense of it. At some point, they’d stopped by the cemetery with Wednesday remarking on how unimpressive it was, giving her own two cents about how the one in her backyard was far more superior. 

Tyler had just stared at her endearingly. She probably knew what he was doing, and ignored it without calling him out on it like she had in the past. He didn’t know if that meant she was getting more comfortable as their relationship was progressing, or she just didn't care anymore. 

She further went into explanation of her life back in New Jersey and some of the unorthodox traditions her family followed. Tyler had listened intently, fascinated by what she had to say. 

And he didn’t say it out loud, but he’d thought about how cool it would be to grow up in her house-

Oh, crap. 

“Oh, no,” Tyler groaned, throwing his head back. “I think I know what happened.” 

The little tidbit was relayed to Fester. “Yep! That’ll do it,” he chirped. 

“But why ?” Tyler couldn’t help it when his-her-voice came out so whiny. “I didn’t wish I was her!” 

“Wishes are tricky,” Fester shrugged. 

Something still didn’t make sense. These sort of things didn’t just happen on their own or he was pretty sure there’d be more body swapping happening. 

So he questioned Fester about it. 

Check the book , Thing told Fester. 

“What book?” Tyler asked and was ignored. 

“Surprisingly, the little agitator has a good idea,” Fester said, ducking out of view for a moment. It was useless for Thing to flip him off again since he couldn't actually see it, but that didn’t stop him. 

The crystal ball must have been on a table, because a thick, heavy book was dropped on it with a loud thud . 

“What’s that?” Tyler couldn’t help but ask. 

“This here is a spell book! Been in the Addams family for generations,” Fester said proudly. 

Yeah, that checked out. Wednesday had offhandedly mentioned sometime ago about a distant relative of hers being a witch. 

“Now, let’s see here,” Fester flipped through numerous pages to find the one he was looking for, “ah, just as I suspected.” 

“What?” Tyler said, leaning forward as if that would help. 

“It’s not in here,” Fester shut the book. 

Tyler slumped in disappointment. 

“But I think I know where it might be,” Fester hinted. 

“Yeah?” Tyler was on alert again. 

“If you made your wish at the cemetery, I’d bet the answer lies in Jericho!” Fester said enthusiastically. 

That...didn’t narrow it down much. 

“You should go look at the history book!” 

“The history book?” Tyler was feeling more and more dismayed. This was what Wednesday wanted him to wait for? 

“The History of Jericho, of course!” Fester exclaimed. “It’s got to be in there somewhere!” 

“So me and Wednesday have to...find a book to help us switch back?” 

“Yes, indeed!” Fester was looking away from the crystal ball now, red and blue flashing lights shining on his face. “Hmm, it seems I have to go. Good luck!” 

“Wait, I don’t know-” Tyler’s shoulders fell when the crystal ball seemingly ended the call. “-where it is.” 

“Are you ready, Thing?” Enid was taking out a pink case from her closet, setting it on her bed and opening it up. It clashed horribly with the bed sheet. 

From what Tyler could see, there were several jars of nail polish in there, several kinds of makeup containers. 

“Ready for what?” Tyler asked conversationally. Since he’d finished the call with Wednesday’s uncle, which left more questions than answers, he’d been lounging on Wednesday’s bed, feeling pretty bored. And with Enid here, he couldn’t just use her laptop again. 

“Our weekly manicure sesh, remember?” Enid began to set out all the necessary supplies, then paused. “Well, you’re usually out with Tyler right now but it’s our thing now, no pun intended.” 

Thing skittered along the floor, hopping up onto the bright pink sheets. 

“I got some new polish. You should totally try one,” Enid said to Thing. “There’s a clear one too. But first we need to work on your cuticles.” 

“Do you mind if I sit over here too?” Tyler said casually. It was better than being over here by himself. He didn’t think it would be strange of ‘Wednesday’ to do that since she did occasionally come into the Weathervane with Enid in tow. 

At least, he thought so. 

Enid froze, then started breathing heavily. She was staring at him with wide eyes, creeping him out a bit. Tyler almost wondered if he'd inadvertently said something that was wildly out of character for Wednesday. Just as he was going to question it, she let out an ear piercing screech. 

“OH EM GEE !” 

Tyler winced and was suddenly grasped by Enid, who was jumping up and down. 

“Oh em gee, oh em gee! Of course you can! I just knew this day would come! Thing said you’d give in at some point! Eeek! Do you wanna paint your nails too? I’ve got black in here somewhere. Oh! I have snacks too. Are you hungry? You didn’t eat much at dinner-” 

“ Enid ,” Tyler was secretly amused by all this but had to keep up appearances, after all. 

“Right, sorry!” Enid was having much difficulty in reigning in her giddiness, and kept letting out a squeal here and there. “But this is, like, amazing . We’re totally due for some roomie bonding time. Should we push our beds together? There’s not enough room on mine. Or we could just sit on the floor!” 

“The floor’s fine,” Tyler said, getting on his knees near her bed. 

Enid clapped her hands together, throwing a fluffy pillow down so she could lay on it, as well as a stuffed unicorn for Thing to lay on and be comfortable. She was smiling widely still, keen on showing ‘Wednesday’ the different kinds of nail polish she owned. 

“What do you think of this one? I know you’re totally not interested in color and that’s fine, of course. But what about this black? This has glitter in it! You could do a sparkly black. That would look so cute!” 

Somehow, Tyler didn’t think Wednesday would appreciate anything remotely sparkly-black or not. 

Enid nudged him, her grin still in place. “I think Tyler would like it.” 

Eh, not really. Tyler wasn't the kind of guy who really cared about that stuff. 

Besides, he didn’t think that would have worked on his girlfriend anyway. Wednesday would have been insulted Enid thought she’d care about what he’d like when it came to her appearance. 

“I don’t care about what he’d want.” 

Personally, he thought he was getting pretty good at sounding like Wednesday, if he did say so himself. 

Enid pouted. “Come on, Wednesday, don’t say that! You’re not the least bit curious to see what he’d say?” 

If Wednesday ever did want his opinion, he’d probably compliment them to be nice, a simple that’s cool or something along those lines. 

“No.” 

A dramatic sigh left Enid’s lips. “You’re hopeless, Wednesday.” 

On that note, she began picking up different nail polish bottles to examine them, occasionally asking for Thing’s thoughts on the color and if he thought it would suit her. 

“So what happened with Xavier earlier? I heard you got sent to Weems’ office.” 

“He chose to touch me without consent,” Tyler said simply. “I let him find out why that was the wrong move to make.” 

“Yikes,” Enid made a face, and whether that was from what Xavier did or because she knew what Wednesday was capable of, he didn’t know. “So what did she do?” 

“She gave me detention for two weeks,” Tyler said nonchalantly. 

“That’s so not fair!” Enid’s jaw dropped. “Did Xavier get punished?” 

“I don’t know.” He really didn’t. Thorpe wasn’t around when he got sent there. 

Enid made a noise. “You shouldn’t have got detention! And like, for two weeks? That’s crazy.” 

Tyler would have shrugged, except Wednesday didn’t know that so he couldn’t. 

But he did agree with her.  Wednesday might not care about her detention but he cared. It wasn’t fair at all when he was the one who instigated it. Thorpe was well aware that Wednesday didn’t tolerate being touched by many people. Tyler was lucky she allowed him to do it. Had it truly been Wednesday in her body, she would have done much worse to Thorpe. 

“I guess Xavier’s lucky,” she eventually said after a moment of silence. “I’m surprised you let him live.” 

“I shouldn’t have,” Tyler grumbled. 

The conversation naturally died down. Enid held up two bottles of nail polish for him to see. “Which one should I pick?”

They looked virtually the same. Tyler told her as much. 

“Wednesday,” she whined. “One’s definitely a bit lighter.” 

“Then use that one.” 

Enid groaned exaggeratedly, choosing to show Thing now, hoping he would be more helpful. The disembodied hand pointed at the slightly darker one. She shot ‘Wednesday’ a pointed look for the lack of help. 

That wasn’t even him trying to be like Wednesday. He didn’t have experience with nail polish or any makeup, really. 

“Which one are you picking?” 

“I’m not picking one.” 

Enid frowned. “Why not?” 

“I asked if I could sit here, not participate,” Tyler reminded her. 

Enid said no more after that, he expected otherwise. He chose to sit there and watch, halfheartedly listening to her prattle on about how her time with Ajax went. 

It was during that time a thought crept up. 

Wednesday had nearly gotten him grounded. She’d also effectively scared his co-worker, and who knows what had happened while she was taking over his shift for him. Tyler felt like he deserved to have a little payback. 

And what better way than with this? 

“Actually, Enid-” Said girl perked up. “I think I will participate.” 

“Eeek! Okay, what shade of black do you want? Sparkly or non sparkly” 

“I think I want to do something different,” Tyler fought to keep the smirk from coming over Wednesday’s face. It wouldn’t have looked oto out of place but he was trying not to get caught also. 

Enid was all ears. “Really? How different?” 

“I’ve been thinking of experimenting with more color,” Tyler said. Enid was too excited over this to hear his sly tone. 

“Oh em gee, really? That’s fantastic, Wednesday! What kind of color do you want? Oooh! What about orange? Or blue? Or-” 

“What about the pink one?” He pointed to the sparkly pink bottle. 

“That would look totes good on you! But what about your color allergy?” Her excitement was on pause for the moment. 

Tyler was quick to think of a cover up. “You could draw a black border around it? That should help.” 

And if not, he knew his girlfriend kept a stash of antihistamines to use whenever she was exposed-usually because of Enid. 

“That’s genius! Okay, give me one sec!” 

Thing was tapping one finger on the stuffed unicorn, giving Tyler a look. Well, not a look look but if Thing had a face, that’s what he would have been doing right now. 

Wednesday was going to strangle him for this. She’d be furious but that was more than alright with him. 

Tyler was going to enjoy this a lot . 

“Tyler is going to be totes surprised when he sees you with this on,” Enid was finishing up, carefully painting the pinkie nail. Tyler sat perfectly still, letting her work through each nail without messing up her progress. “And speaking of Tyler,” she wiggled her eyebrows. 

“What?” Tyler said, genuinely puzzled. 

“How are you guys doing?’ Enid asked, eager to hear some gossip. 

“Fine,” was all he was going to say. 

“That’s it?” Enid said, angst. 

“What were you expecting?” 

She waved her arms around vaguely. “ Details !” 

“It’s none of your business.” 

“I’ve told you details about me and Ajax.” Probably against Wednesday’s will. 

“I didn’t ask you to do that.” 

She pouted. “That’s not fair.”

Not thinking about it, Tyler shrugged. Luckily, she wasn’t looking at him so she didn’t see it. 

“There’s got to be something,” Enid tried again. Tyler had to hand it to her; she was determined when she wanted to be. “You guys have been dating for like, a year . There’s gotta be something you can tell me! Have you guys done it yet?” 

Her voice dropped to a whisper despite no one but them, and Thing, were in the room. 

“No.” 

Her mouth fell open. “Seriously?” 

He stared at her. It’d taken Wednesday a great deal of time to get herself comfortable with where they were now . He didn’t think they would be anywhere near intimate until much further in the future, which was completely fine with Tyler. He’d never push for anything Wednesday would be uncomfortable with. 

“That’s not what it looked like last week,” Enid sing-songed. 

“What?” It came out involuntarily. He was too caught off guard to keep himself from blurting it out. 

Enid moved on to Thing, applying a protective coating to his nails. “Remember when Tyler was shirtless and you were, like, practically drooling?” 

He was taken back to that moment, a crease forming in the middle of ‘Wednesday’s’ forehead. He’d been keen to leave work, so instead of wasting time by going into the bathroom to change out of his Weathervane shirt, he’d done it off to the side but well within the view of anyone there. Tyler didn’t think much of it at the time. Besides a couple of co-workers, Wednesday and Enid, the place was empty so it hadn’t been like he was doing it in front of any customers. 

He also hadn’t been aware She’d been watching him. 

“I was?” Tyler said carefully. He wanted to hear this, hear of what Wednesday would never tell him, invested with the idea of her eyes lingering on his half naked body. 

“I saw you,” she said mischievously. “I swear you were blushing. I told Thing you were but he doesn’t believe me.” 

“I don’t blush,” he balked, because it was what Wednesday would tell her. Although it was a total lie. He’d seen a dusting of pink on her cheeks on a couple of prior occasions and it was quite literally the cutest sight ever. 

“Whatever, Wednesday,” she clicked her tongue. “You know it’s okay to show that you actually like Tyler, right? He’s your boyfriend. You don’t have to hide it.” 

He didn’t really have a good Wednesday-like response to that, so he settled for glaring. 

That she would do. 

“Besides,” she continued, “you’re not as sneaky as you think you are, Wens. I totally saw Tyler’s jacket in here.” 

He almost blurted out my jacket? Instead, he composed himself, asking, “You saw that?” 

Enid rolled her eyes. “It literally stands out. What else do you have that’s black and blue?” 

Oh , she’d taken that one? He had so many flannels he honestly didn’t even notice it was gone. Still, warmth blossomed in his chest at knowing what she’d done. 

“I hadn’t realized you saw that.” 

She snorted. “I notice a lot more than you think, Wednesday.” 

“Surprising, given your attachment to Ajax.” 

“Like your attachment to Tyler?” She retorted good-naturedly. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. Like...like you’re so in love but you don’t know how to tell him.” 

She was waving her arms around to further emphasize her point. 

Enid smiled again, a softer one. “It’s really sweet. I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that.” 

Tyler was sure he’d done the same to Wednesday, hopefully in a discreet way. There’d been other girls he was interested in prior to her but none that had such a grip on him like she did. 

Their nail polish session eventually did wind down. Curfew was coming quickly, Wednesday’s dorm mother came in to check on them and inform the two that lights needed to be out soon. 

Tyler’s, or technically Wednesday's, legs were stiff from sitting cross-legged for so long. He stretched them out, while Enid stayed where she was, braiding her short hair into pigtails. 

It gave him an idea. 

If by chance they did return to their rightful bodies tonight, she’d probably be huffy if she had to take the time to re-braid her hair. 

Maybe he could ask...

“Enid?” 

She stopped what she was doing. “Yeah?” 

“Would you by chance consider braiding  my hair?” He had to think up a quick excuse so she wouldn’t get suspicious as to why Wednesday , who braided her own hair everyday, suddenly wanted help. “I thought you might-” 

He never got the chance to finish. For the second time that evening, Enid let out an inhumane screech. 

“Oh em gee! This is the best girls night ever! I can totally do that!” She enthusiastically patted the space in front of her. Tyler maneuvered over there, and she took out Wednesday’s elastics, getting started immediately. 

For obvious reasons, Tyler never experienced getting his hair braided. His hair was never long enough to do anything with, and even if it was, he wouldn’t think about braiding it ever . 

Even so, this was nice. Enid combed through ‘Wednesday’s’ hair, and it felt pretty good. Was this how people felt when they went to actual salons to get their hair done? If so, he understood now. 

Just as he’d closed his eyes, taking this all in, she spoke again. 

“I know you hate it when I talk about other people but I need to tell someone!” 

“Go on then,” Tyler said. “Make it quick.” 

Enid delved into a thoroughly detailed story regarding some outcast from her and Wednesday’s class and a couple names he recognized that went to Jericho High. The two of them had dated and now she was pregnant with his child. 

“That’s not what happened,” Tyler knew the truth from Lucas. He knew the aforementioned couple, the guy used to play on the baseball team with Lucas and they’d been fairly close for a while. 

But Wednesday wouldn’t have known the truth. 

“How do you know?” Enid said, surprised. 

“Tyler told me,” he said quickly. 

“He knows? ” If Enid thought this was peculiar, she didn’t show it. “Wait, so she’s not really pregnant?” 

“No. They were both cheating on each other,” he said. 

“Oh em gee . That’s crazy! Yoko thought she must be because she’s been wearing baggy sweatshirts when we’re out of uniform.” 

Tyler wouldn’t necessarily call himself a gossip or anything, but sometimes it was kind of fun to talk about these things and Wednesday would never willingly do it with him. 

“Tyler also told me that they only found out because both of them and their cheating partners were in the same restaurant at the same time,” he revealed. 

“Are you serious ?” Enid squeaked. “That’s crazy! ” 

“Yes. They were all escorted out after a physical fight nearly broke out.” 

“How have I not heard of this!” Enid said indignantly. “This could’ve gone on my blog! It’s like...the biggest news this semester!” 

“I’ve got more pieces of news that Tyler has told me if you’re interested,” he said nonchalantly. 

Enid practically choked on the handful of chips she’d thrown into her mouth. “You do? Is it, like, good stuff?” 

“Enid, given his work environment, he’s able to hear numerous conversations and no one is usually the wiser to his eavesdropping.” 

Tyler suddenly made a noise of surprise when he was hugged fiercely by Enid from behind. 

“This is the best day ever! ”