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Wednesday had been off lately. And with as close as they had gotten lately Bianca should have noticed something was wrong sooner.
They’re fencing. Because that’s what they do. Well less fencing and more just trying to stab each other with their very sharp blades.
But regardless, Bianca is bantering because that’s what she does. She throws out insults and taunts as swiftly as she lunges. Except Wednesday isn’t bantering back as she usually does. It should throw Bianca off but she’s too busy being snarky because that’s what she does. She has a smart mouth. Always has. Probably won’t change anytime soon.
She's standing across from Wednesday Addams, them both clad in their fencing uniforms and both covered in marks from the other’s blade. Wednesday more so than Bianca.
She had been distracted all night, lost in her head, in whatever thoughts plague her dark mind. Her moves are stilted and far from the fluid movements and fierce attacks she usually uses. It has affected her swordplay to the point that Bianca has won nearly all of their bouts.
Bianca had realized pretty quickly but said nothing of it. While their relationship had improved vastly, Bianca knew that they didn’t have that kind of relationship. And they didn't bring their personal shit into fencing. In this room, in the dead of night, they fought to release the personal shit.
But Wednesday had clearly not been doing that. In a move very out of character for the goth, Wednesday had blown up at Bianca. The siren had only been throwing lighthearted jabs at the raven. Honest.
And yet there Wednesday stood, hair a mess, face flushed, and breathing heavily. Bianca could only stare at her with wide eyes after what the other girl had just accused her of. Siren-songing her. Really. As if Wednesday didn't know her better than that.
Bianca slips out of her fencing stance, reaching up to rip her mask off in a fit of rage, before remembering she doesn't have one on. She’s that disconcerted. Instead, she rubs a hand over her hair; it's grown longer in the past few months and she hadn't found the time to cut it.
Bianca drops her arms to her side and glares down at Wednesday, storms in her eyes.
"What the hell did you say?"
Wednesday's gaze doesn't falter. She just glares right back. For some reason, she has the audacity, as if she's in the right. She doesn't respond. She has a near-crazed look in her eyes and keeps her stance, poised to attack, but she doesn't respond.
And Bianca can't repeat herself because that would mean she loses this insane game that Addams likes to play.
Except Bianca doesn't care. She can’t bring herself to. She's actually pissed right now. She can feel her talons tear through her gloves and her teeth sharpening in her mouth. She bares them on instinct. Wednesday’s eyes flick down to her teeth and the look in her eyes changes. For a second Bianca doubts herself.
Did she unintentionally enchant Wednesday? Her hand flies up to grip the new amulet that rests against her breastbone. No, that isn’t possible. Her new amulet is much stronger than the old one. She had to replace it after the battle against Crackstone, where her old one snapped on impact after she was flung through the air with his magic.
"What did you say, Wednesday," She forces the words out through sharpened teeth.
Wednesday looks her up and down, accusation clear in her gaze. She truly believes what she has said.
"I said: You used your siren song on me." Wednesday takes a few steps closer to her, glare darkening her face. A challenge. An intimidation tactic the raven has used before. Usually when she's feeling uncomfortable. A tactic to try and make the other person feel the same. An attempt to make her back off. It throws Bianca. It's been a long time since Wednesday had been uncomfortable at Nevermore or around her. A long time since Wednesday felt the need to try and intimidate her.
Bianca doesn't back down. She matches the other girls’ steps until there is only a breath between them. Foot to foot they are almost touching. Wednesday has to tilt her head up to look Bianca in her eyes. They are both barefoot, forgoing shoes in favor of comfort and mobility to fence and Bianca is almost a head taller than Wednesday.
Bianca almost smirks at the annoyance on the other girl’s face at her height disadvantage. She would have if she weren't so pissed at Wednesday right now.
"Take it back," Bianca all but growls, teeth still bared.
Wednesday's shoulders tense up even more and her eyes darken.
"Why would I? It's the truth."
Bianca bristles even more at that, if possible.
The nerve of Addams. Not that it's anything new. She had always been this way, Bianca just wasn't used to having it directed at her in such a hostile way anymore. Wednesday had been a bit more subdued lately. She has lured Bianca into a false sense of security. A bit ironic considering Bianca was the one naturally inclined to lure.
The look in Wednesday’s eyes reminds her of the days she had somehow forgotten. Of sharp japs and even sharper blades thrust at the other to tear down instead of in jest. When the insults were exactly that and said as such instead of in the recent way of bantering that they had been favoring recently.
Not that she'd be mentioning it aloud to anybody ever, Bianca was actually kind of hurt. She had trusted Wednesday with the details of her previous relationship and how she had been accused of precisely the same thing by Xavier. She had made her feelings about using her song on people crystal clear to the raven and yet after everything; undead colonizer, Hyde, and near-death experiences all, Wednesday still didn’t trust Bianca. It stung like a bitch.
The longer the siren stood across from her fencing partner, waiting for Wednesday to say something more, anything more, the more she could feel herself getting more riled up. Tears sprung forward and prickled in the back of her eyes.
She couldn't do this.
"You know what," Bianca says, anger now directed at herself bubbling up to the surface. How foolish of her to let someone else in. To trust someone who didn’t trust her back. She drops her saber and roughly tugs off her now shredded gloves.
"Fuck this. Fuck you, Addams." Her throat is tight as she spits the words in the shorter girl’s direction. She throws her gloves at Wednesday’s feet and pushes past her, shoulder-checking Wednesday in the process, hard. Wednesday barely budges.
Bianca grits her teeth as she makes her way to the gym exit. She promises herself at that moment that she’s not going to look back and she won’t even look in Wednesday’s direction unless the other girl apologizes first.
“What, you can’t own up to the truth. You’re puppeteering my emotions. Admit it. And of course you’re going to pretend like you haven’t done anything. Like you haven’t been getting closer to me for some ulterior motive.” It's not said nearly as eloquently as Wednesday would have liked but she’s rightfully flustered considering the situation.
“You’re using me.” She adds after a breath. Her chest rises and falls rapidly with every breath.
The words stop Bianca in her tracks. She forces herself to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down; in for two and out for three, before she turns back around to face Wednesday again. The Raven has already turned to face her by the time Bianca does the same and their eyes meet.
“Isn’t that what you sirens do.” She says it in a matter-of-fact tone without an ounce of questioning. Wednesday already has her answer regardless of what Bianca has to say about it. This interaction as a whole has made Bianca wonder what the hell goes on in Wednesday’s head. The girl has been more temperamental in the last thirty minutes than in the whole time Bianca has known her, which is saying a lot considering everything.
“What do you want from me, Wednesday,” Bianca asks. She had been about to leave. About to put the whole thing to rest by just staying away from Wednesday but for some reason the other girl wanted to push the issue. She clearly wanted to get a rise out of Bianca.
Wednesday stays silent and Bianca releases a sigh.
Bianca is tired. She’s tired and annoyed and stressed and she just wants to go wash off the sweat and blood that has accumulated on her body. She’s tired of being accused of using her powers on the people she cares about. Especially when they know how she feels about said powers. Annoyed that they would even think that she would do that. Tired of not being believed. Tired of being doubted. Tired of the look in their eyes as they throw accusations at her. Tired of Wednesday being temperamental and lacking the emotional capacity to deal with her own emotions. She’s just tired, period. It’s been a long day.
Bianca takes a couple more deep breaths and gathers her last bits of patience. For someone who needs clear communication to understand things Wednesday sure is keen on not extending the courtesy to others. Bianca realizes that with the way this conversation is going things aren’t going to end well for the two of them if they don’t properly communicate and discuss the misunderstanding. And despite her volatile nature and irritating disposition, Wednesday doesn’t deserve to have Bianca snap at her. Even with the accusations she’s throwing around.
“Wednesday,” Bianca says with a false calmness. She makes sure to say it in a clearly leveled voice so that Wednesday understands her every word.
“ I didn’t siren-song you. I don’t even think I can use that now that I have this new amulet.” She pulls said amulet from where it had been tucked into her suit and holds it out for Wednesday to see but the Raven’s eyes never leave Bianca’s.
Bianca releases the amulet in disappointment and doesn’t even flinch when it falls painfully against her breastbone. She’s too focused on Wednesday. She can feel her heart shattering at the guarded look on Wednesday’s face. Can feel the broken pieces tearing at her chest, leaving her wounded and exposed. She hopes she’s hiding it well. Showing weakness in front of Wednesday is never a good idea.
“Wednesday, Why do you think that I would song you,” Bianca adds. Wednesday’s expression hardens at the statement.
“ I don’t think that you would, Barclay. I know that you did.” The words are said with venom and Bianca’s last name has never stung so much.
Bianca tries to look her in the eyes, attempting to see what the raven is thinking, to no avail. Wednesday truly believes Bianca has used her song on her.
Bianca is trying extremely hard not to completely shut down right now because she knows that if she does then it will all be over. Everything the two of them had worked toward will have been for nothing.
Bianca crosses the distance between the two of them quickly and within two seconds she is standing in front of Wednesday. She tilts her head to try again to catch the other girl’s eyes but Wednesday suddenly refuses to make eye contact.
Bianca knew that eye contact wasn’t something that made Wednesday uncomfortable nor was it something the other girl struggled with. Pretty much anything else was touch-and-go. Or in Wednesday's case don’t-touch-and-go. So standing across from the raven, gym nearly black with the sudden absence of the moon, Bianca couldn’t figure out why Wednesday refused to look at her. Did she all of a sudden hate Bianca that much?
“Wednesday,” Bianca tries again.
“Wendy, Please. Look at me.” Bianca isn’t used to begging but at this moment she doesn’t know what else to do. The nickname used is one that she has only used for the other girl once, not counting the privacy of her head. It’s spoken softly, gently, a whisper even. As if she’s scared to spook the other girl but instantly Wednesday’s eyes are on her.
The stony expression Wednesday had on her face is instantly replaced with the closest thing Wednesday has to a soft look. For almost a minute they just stand there, staring at each other, neither moving.
There it is again, Bianca thinks, That look. It’s similar to the look of adoration Wednesday usually reserves for her family, and sometimes Enid or Eugene, when they aren’t looking, but that Bianca had started to notice directed at herself every once in a while. It’s the same look that had her almost believing that she had in fact enchanted Wednesday even when she knows that it isn’t currently possible.
Her eyes are an inky blackness that rivals the depths of the ocean and Bianca is helplessly drawn in. She forgets what she had been about to say. Bianca’s breath hitches and her eyes quickly flit across Wednesday’s face, cataloging the expressions. She licks her lips and watches as Wednesday’s eyes follow the movement. She fights her desire to reach out and touch Wednesday. Instead, she takes a small step back to give herself some breathing room.
“Wednesday, I didn’t siren song you,” Bianca says again. “I would never do that.” She hopes Wednesday can pick up on her sincerity. Wednesday is clearly distressed by the thought of being bewitched and Bianca just wanted to assure her that she would never do that. She just wanted Wednesday to believe her. Believe in her.
After almost a minute of having Wednesday stand there staring her down, Bianca starts to fidget. Bianca almost starts to let herself hope that Wednesday believes her but visibly deflates seconds later. One by one, all of the barriers that she had gotten Wednesday to drop over the past year all rose back up, turning Wednesday back into the stoic girl Bianca had met way back when. Wednesday’s gaze returns to the stony hardness and Bianca prepares herself for the worst.
“I don’t believe you.” She says it with a steely casualness as if she didn’t just shatter Bianca’s very being. Wednesday doesn’t care. She goes to pick up her previously discarded mask and before Bianca can even think of a response, Wednesday is gone.