Work Text:
2:11 PM (NJ) / 11:11 AM (CA)
Wednesday sat at her desk, fingers thrumming against wood. Eyes trained to her stupid, once unnecessary device, a low growl escaped her lips. Snatching it, she opened up her phone, clumsily navigating to the text thread between her and Enid.
WEDNESDAY:
You have been uncharacteristically silent today.
Explain.
ENID:
lol good afternoon to u too sunshine
im just tired
west coast air makes me sleepy or whatever
Heart beating in her chest, Wednesday peers at her phone, typing back. Enid Sinclair has been nothing but a liar since she returned home.
WEDNESDAY:
The time difference does not affect your lungs.
Try again.
ENID:
okay okay
i’m just
adjusting
you know how it is here
loud house
brothers being annoying
mom being...herself
Wednesday’s shoulders tense.
WEDNESDAY:
You are deflecting.
Your messages have been inconsistent all week.
When I ask how things are, you respond with stickers of crying puppies or glitter wolves riding skateboards.
ENID:
those stickers are emotionally supportive
u should be grateful
WEDNESDAY:
I am concerned.
Something is amiss.
ENID:
wedns im FINE
just dealing w/ family stuff
wolfy drama, nothing life-ruining
Wednesday scoffs. Liar.
WEDNESDAY:
You always claim “nothing” when there is clearly “something.”
You have said “I’m fine” fourteen times this week.
Statistically, that is suspicious.
ENID:
wow we’re counting my emotional breakdown phrases now
so romantic
WEDNESDAY:
I do not accept mockery in place of honesty.
Are you safe?
ENID:no LOL
yes. im safe. promise.
just...stressed
its not you
Eyebrows furrow together, Wednesday’s finger hovers over the call button. She recoils, texting back instead. What if Enid runs from her for pressing too much? What could she do then?
WEDNESDAY:
Your stress is my concern.
You are not alone in this miserable world, regardless of your mother’s primitive philosophy.
ENID:
lol pls dont start insulting my family rn
my head is already loud enough
WEDNESDAY:
If your “loud head” is caused by them, I am entitled to insult them.
You are trembling. I can tell by your irregular punctuation.
What happened?
ENID:
nothing happened!!!
just tired
like
emotionally jetlagged idk
WEDNESDAY:
You are lying.
Badly.
ENID:
im not lying im just
not ready to talk about things yet
can we talk about literally anything else
like the fact that u probably threatened someone today for walking too close to you
WEDNESDAY:
Correct.
He deserved it.
ENID:
see? distraction success. gold star for me ⭐️
WEDNESDAY:
You may have the star.
But I will revisit this.
I do not trust silence.
Especially from you.
ENID:
...k
thank u
<3
WEDNESDAY:
Do not send me hearts unless you intend emotional consequences.
ENID:
maybe i do
maybe i dont
mysteryyyy 🌈👻
WEDNESDAY:
Stop being adorable. It is suspicious.
ENID:
lol go write in your murder journal or smth
i'll text u later
WEDNESDAY:
You had better.
Wednesday sighs, pinching the area between her brows as she places her phone down on her desk. She turns to Thing, cuddled up next to his girlfriend, Lady Fingers.
“Go find Enid,” she demands, throat tight. “She is in danger. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she’s safe.”
6:44 AM (NJ) / 3:44 AM (CA)
"I love you so much, Wednesday. I’m so sorry for everything. The lies. The silence. I’ll tell you everything soon, I promise."
When the call connected, the screen filled with Enid in an oversized bubblegum-pink hoodie, sleeves swallowing her hands. She lifted a hand in a lazy wave.
Wednesday’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you wearing that?”
Enid blinked. “Uh...hello to you too?”
“It is twenty-two degrees Celsius,” Wednesday continued, arms folding. “For your tragically uneducated ears, it’s seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit. That hoodie is unnecessary.”
“Right, but...why are you using Celsius?” Enid snorted. “You grew up in New Jersey.”
“It is the superior system. The creation of Fahrenheit is a crime.” Her tone sharpened. “Answer the question.”
Enid tugged the hoodie sleeves over her wrists. Too far. Too fast. “Mom’s running the AC. She’s...hot-natured lately.”
A lie, Wednesday thought instantly. Too practiced.
“Mm,” Wednesday hummed, unconvinced.
“I know you don’t believe me.”
“I don’t,” Wednesday answered plainly.
Enid puffed her cheeks. “Anyway, Thing loves California! I took him to get his nails done yesterday.”
Thing crawled into frame, showing off glossy nails. Wednesday stared. So did he, tapping a finger meaningfully.
“Ignore that,” Enid said quickly, scooping him out of view. “He’s obsessed with being pampered.”
“Thing,” Wednesday said sharply, “you are not on vacation. You are on reconnaissance.”
Thing rolled the eyes he did not technically have.
“So,” Wednesday continued, gaze sharpening, “you’ll relay the truth?”
Enid beamed too brightly. “I have BEEN telling you the truth.”
Which meant she absolutely had not.
Thing raised a finger to sign, but Enid snatched the phone and repositioned it so all Wednesday could see was her face, the stretched smile, tired eyes.
“Anyway, I went to a new coffee shop yesterday. They messed up my order. I should sue.”
“You have enough energy. You do not require chemical enhancement,” Wednesday deadpanned. Then, colder. “Put Thing back. I want to speak to him.”
“He’s—uh—reading,” Enid blurted. “Don’t disturb him. He gets grumpy.”
“He does not read romance novels, Enid. You do.”
“You don’t know his life,” she muttered, looking away. “Anyway, I have so much to tell you. Like, my brother tried to make food and he nearly died. It smelled like wet dog all night.”
Wednesday sat back slowly, expression unreadable. Something was wrong. Enid was babbling, she only ever babbles when she’s hiding something.
Wednesday’s voice softened dangerously. “Enid.”
Enid froze mid-ramble, swallowing. “Yeah?”
“I will find out the truth. Whether you speak it or not.”
A tiny crack formed in Enid’s smile. “I know.”
And that, more than anything else, confirmed it.
7:42 PM (NJ) / 4:42 PM (CA)
WEDNESDAY:
Thing has not reported anything notable today.
He claims you spent the afternoon “pretending to reorganize your closet and staring into space like a haunted possum.”
ENID:
WOW betrayal
and rude
i was organizing!!!!!
and also processing feelings but whatever 🙄
WEDNESDAY:
Your mother was in the room twice.
ENID:
she was literally just asking if i wanted dinner
normal family stuff
pls dont go all sherlock on my lasagna choices
WEDNESDAY:
Do not attempt humor as a deflection.
You did not eat the lasagna.
ENID:
yeah bc it had mushrooms and she KNOWS i dont like mushrooms
tell thing im filing a formal complaint for snitching
WEDNESDAY:
Your tone shifts every time she speaks to you.
As though you expect punishment for breathing incorrectly.
ENID:
wedns
dont
its just family vibes
u know western moms, they’re intense but not like, BAD intense
WEDNESDAY:
I do not believe in “western vibes.”
I believe in patterns.
And your pattern concerns me.
ENID:
im fine
i promise
really
things r just awkward right now
WEDNESDAY:
Has she yelled at you?
Insulted you?
Dismissed you?
Told you you are a disappointment?
ENID:
why would u assume that
WEDNESDAY:
Because I recognize emotional warfare when I see it.
My mother wields it like a rosary.
ENID:
okay first ouch
secondly stop jumping to dramatic gothic conclusions
nothing’s happening
WEDNESDAY:
If she harms you, verbally or otherwise
I will intervene.
ENID:
Wedns. No.
pls don’t turn this into a crusade
its not a big deal
WEDNESDAY:
Your avoidance is a confession.
ENID:
can we not do this today
i literally just painted my nails i don’t wanna cry and ruin it
WEDNESDAY:
Then show me your face.
Video call. Now.
And put Thing on the screen first.
ENID:
he’s charging
WEDNESDAY:
He is a disembodied hand, Enid.
He does not require electricity.
ENID:
okay FINE
he’s doing...hand push-ups
for strength
WEDNESDAY:
You are lying to protect someone.
ENID:
STOP
pls just
let it go for a little, okay?
im holding it together and if you poke too hard im gonna spill everywhere and i can’t yet
WEDNESDAY:
You do not have to “hold together.”
Cracks reveal truth.
Truth precedes action.
Action prevents harm.
ENID:
i know
i just
need time
WEDNESDAY:
Time I will grant.
Silence I will not.
Send Thing.
I want to speak to him.
ENID:
...give me five minutes
WEDNESDAY:
Five.
Not six.
Wednesday tugged the end of her braid. The notebook in front of her sat open like a battlefield. Ink-splattered diagrams, lists of weapons, contingency steps that all ended in prison. She tapped her fountain pen against her knuckles, jaw tight.
“Why is this difficult?” she muttered, stabbing a dot too violently at the page. “I have conceived seventy-two methods of extraction and retaliation. Yet none of them feel correct.”
Lady Fingers adjusted her tiny lace cuff with a dramatic sigh.
“Don’t patronize me,” Wednesday snapped. She dug the heel of her palm into her temple. “If Thing were here, he would assist. He always knows how to balance brutality with efficiency.”
Lady Fingers tapped sharply. You could have sent me instead of him.
“He is more diabolical than you.” A beat. “That was not meant as an insult. I am simply—” She exhaled sharply through her nose. “I am overwhelmed.”
Lady Fingers patted her wrist. She is in danger. When an Addams is in danger, you go. That’s the rule.
Wednesday froze. Her chin lifted a fraction.
“She is not—” The word caught. Her throat tightened. “Enid is not an Addams.”
Lady Fingers flicked her fingers at her, unimpressed. Not by blood, no. But the curse has you, anyway.
“The curse is fictional,” Wednesday said automatically. Her voice betrayed her.
Don’t lie. You are hopelessly bonded and half-feral about it. Accept your fate.
Wednesday’s eyes dropped to her hands. Ink smeared her skin like bruises. The pages below were drenched in contingency plans that all involved blade, bone, violence—things she craved but Enid might shatter under.
Enid didn’t need a massacre. She needed a rescue. A quiet one. A safe one.
Wednesday felt ill. “I am attempting to devise a strategy that does not involve homicide, psychological warfare, or kidnapping. It is tedious.”
Lady Fingers crossed her arms. Try brainstorming like a person who doesn’t solve feelings with stabbing. Let me help.
Wednesday glared at her. “I do not solve everything with stabbing.”
Lady Fingers lifted one finger.
Wednesday’s voice dropped to a whisper. “…As Doctor Kinbott used to say, it is one of my primary coping mechanisms.”
Lady Fingers pointed to a blank page. Try again. No weapons. No body bags. Love strategy only.
Wednesday stared at the empty paper. Her pulse skittered like a hummingbird caught in her chest.
“…I fear I may be out of my depth.”
Lady Fingers patted her again. You are. That is what makes it important.
Wednesday inhaled, steadying herself.
“For her.” Wednesday pushed her palms into her eyes, let out a deep sigh, and then straightened her back. In one swift motion, she opened to a clean page, forcing her hand to write softer words than it liked.
8:52 AM (NJ) / 5:52 PM (CA)
“I’m scared.”
“ I’m actually terrified.”
“She woke me up in the middle of the night, dragged me outside, and drove me somewhere I didn’t recognize. Just...dropped me there. Told me to find my own way home or not bother coming back.”
“Said I’m lazy. Weak. Stupid.”
“ That I need to ‘toughen up.’”
“I’m shaking so hard I can barely type.”
“ I don’t know where I am.”
“I don’t want to go back but I don’t know where else to go.”
“ I don’t know what to do and I’m so scared and I hate that I am.”
“I wish you were here.”
“I wish I wasn’t such a problem.”
4:19 PM (NJ) / 1:19 PM (CA)
WEDNESDAY:
Thing has ceased providing updates.
Explain.
ENID:
uhhh maybe he fell asleep??
hand nap time?? ✋💤
WEDNESDAY:
He does not sleep.
He lurks.
ENID:
okay well maybe he’s lurking super hard
like
stealth mode
hand ninja stuff
WEDNESDAY:
He has not responded to three summons.
That only happens when he is captured, injured or being bribed with nail polish
ENID:
wow rude I would never bribe him with nail polish
...okay maybe once
or twice
but NOT right now
WEDNESDAY:
I assume I am being handled.
And poorly.
ENID:
ur not being handled im literally just existing and vibing
maybe Thing just doesn’t wanna be your little spy anymore 👀
WEDNESDAY:
He is not a spy.
Where is he?
ENID:
around??
doing finger push-ups probably
or learning knitting idk he’s mysterious
WEDNESDAY:
Your humor increases in direct proportion to your distress.
You are deflecting again.
And shaking.
ENID:
I am NOT shaking
im perfectly chill
SO chill
like a popsicle with anxiety but STILL
WEDNESDAY:
If my companion is being prevented from contacting me, I will take action.
ENID:
PLEASE don’t do anything
he’s fine
I’m fine
everything's fine
pls just
trust me for like five mins
WEDNESDAY:
Five minutes is generous.
If he does not respond by then, I will escalate.
ENID:
WEDNESDAY NO
dont escalate anything
I can’t
I don’t want
just give me a second okay?
WEDNESDAY:
Second granted.
But understand this:
If silence becomes danger, I will not stay where I am.
ENID:
...I know
just
not yet
WEDNESDAY:
Then tell him to answer.
Or put him on screen yourself.
ENID:
...working on it
5:49 AM (NJ) / 2:49AM (CA)
“I want to tell you everything, ok? I just can't right now. Mom’s getting worse and I don’t think I can do this anymore. It hurts too much. And if you come things might get worse. I love you. I’m sorry. For everything.”
“I don't think you quite understand, Mother—” Wednesday begins, voice thinner than she intends. “I need to go. Now. It’s nearly a seven-hour flight to California. What if things get worse while I’m trapped here?”
Her fingers tremble against her skirt. “No. It isn’t a ‘what if.’ They will get worse. And then what? What am I supposed to do?”
Morticia places a graceful hand on Wednesday’s shoulder, thumb sweeping in that unsettlingly soft, motherly way that always threatens to undo her. “Thing is with her, darling. If there were true danger, he would alert you.”
“She’s preventing him from contacting me,” Wednesday pushes, jaw clenching. “She’s cutting off my access to him. That is not a coincidence.”
Morticia exhales, serene as a crypt at midnight. “Wednesday, my heart. Thing has survived torture chambers, Vatican hunters, and the occasional ravenous ghoul. He cannot be stopped with a door.”
“Mother—”
“You are spiraling,” Morticia says gently, like she’s discussing the weather. “It is the curse of the Addams heart. When one is separated from one’s beloved, dread becomes a persistent companion. When your father once called five minutes late, I wrote his eulogy in full parchment and ink.”
Wednesday blinks. “…This is not the same.”
“You’re right,” Morticia murmurs. “Yours may be worse. The first separation is always the most painful.” She snips a blood-red rose from its stem. The blossom drops, petal-death soft on marble. Morticia smiles like she’s savoring the sound.
“For tonight, occupy yourself. Help Grandmama decant her poison set, or torment your brother—it soothes the nerves.” A thoughtful pause. “Next week, we’ll arrange a trip to San Francisco. You can collect your wolf then. It pains me to see you rattled by the curse...”
Wednesday’s jaw twitches. “I am not rattled.”
Morticia kisses her daughter’s temple. “Of course not, cara mia.”
2:57 AM (NJ) / 11:57 PM (CA)
ENID:
hey
u awake?
WEDNESDAY:
Yes.
Why are you messaging at this hour? It is past your bedtime. And mine.
ENID:
lol u dont have a bedtime
u just lie still and haunt the room
WEDNESDAY:
Correct.
Answer the question.
ENID:
i just…
needed to hear your typing bubbles i guess
WEDNESDAY:
Enid.
ENID:
okay
fine
it’s just been a night
WEDNESDAY:
Define “a night.”
ENID:
...i don’t wanna talk abt it
im tired
and u can’t fix it at midnight from three time zones away
WEDNESDAY:
That is not an answer.
Did someone hurt you?
ENID:
“i”
“i can’t say it”
“it feels real if i say it”
“she hit me. clawed my face. i ran. im bleeding i dont know where to go im scared please help me”
ENID:
nothing huge okay
family stuff got intense
its fine now
WEDNESDAY:
Your wording suggests otherwise.
ENID: “i just…”
“feel like i did when he attacked me”
“i think i need stitches”
“running was stupid i know”
“i’m safe now”
“promise”
ENID:
pls dont panic
im just shaky and tired and
homes are complicated
families are too“not like im home anyway”
WEDNESDAY:
I am two seconds from purchasing a red-eye flight.
ENID:
no
pls dont
WEDNESDAY:
You are crying.
ENID:
no im not
...okay maybe i am
but it’s stupid
im just tired and everything feels loud
WEDNESDAY:
I dislike that I cannot hold you.
Breathe. Slowly.
You are not alone, lobita.
ENID:
i know
thats why i texted
didnt wanna wake u
just
needed to not be in my head alone
WEDNESDAY:
I will stay awake with you.
Until you sleep.
ENID:
ty
i love u
sorry
i mean
goodnight
ignore the first thing
WEDNESDAY:
I will not ignore it.
Sleep, Enid.
We will talk in the morning.
If this escalates, I will come get you.
ENID:
k
gnight Wedns
talk tomrrow
promise ill be okay
WEDNESDAY:
You had better be.
4:23 AM (NJ) / 1:23 AM (CA)
“I’m walking to Yoko’s. On foot. In the middle of nowhere. I ran away from home. She hurt me. Bad. And I’m scared. I keep looking over my shoulder like she’s going to show up and drag me back.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing. Or where I belong. Or why this hurts so much. I just...I want it to stop. I want some rando to come and pick me up and just kill me. That would be easier, wouldn’t it? Then she couldn’t hurt me anymore.”
“I’m so tired, Wednesday. Really tired. I wish you were here. I wish I could just be with you. I want you. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“I started self-harming a while ago. That’s why I stopped Thing from contacting you. I didn’t want you to know. To think any less of me.”
“I love you, Wednesday. If things were different, I think you could have been my mate.”
Wednesday sat at her desk, phone in hand, waiting.
Six o’clock Eastern. Three o’clock Pacific. Their time. Their ritual. Enid always called.
At 6:07, Wednesday lifted her gaze to the clock again. At 6:14 her fingers began tapping her desk. At 6:31 she knew something was wrong.
The Sinclair household was...tenuous at best. Enid called it “family pressures.” Wednesday called it ‘psychological warfare executed by tyrants.’ Esther Sinclair in particular—“a total fucking bitch,” as Enid had once said with charming restraint.
Enid loved them anyway. That part baffled Wednesday. Love toward one’s tormentors seemed inefficient and masochistic. But Enid insisted they weren’t the enemy. Logic disagreed.
A sick weight settled in Wednesday’s stomach. Her pulse climbed. She hit FaceTime.
Brrring. Brrring. Brrring.
Her mind drifted to the sharp, violent rhythm of woodpeckers hammering at tree bark. It was one of her favorite morning sounds. This wasn’t that. This was dread. Sticky and suffocating.
She hated calling people. She hated waiting. And now, she hated that Enid hadn’t answered.
She called again.
Brrring. Brrring—
Enid answered. The camera faced the ceiling. Wednesday saw only part of Enid’s forehead...and then the gash. Red. Fresh. Ugly. Wednesday’s breath stilled. Her fingers clenched around her phone.
Who had dared—
“Hey Wednesday,” Enid murmured. Something rustled as she adjusted the phone. The room behind her was unfamiliar. Dark walls, posters, and—
Tanaka? Why was she at Yoko’s?
Wednesday’s voice came out like a blade. “Who hurt you?”
The camera dropped to point at the floor. Enid froze. Wednesday felt something like electricity crackle under her skin. She turned to Lady Fingers, perched on her bed like an angry spider.
“Book me a flight to Los Angeles.”
Lady Fingers bobbed once and scuttled out.
“What?” Enid blurted. “No. Wednesday, you cannot come here. My parents—please, don’t.”
“You are hurt,” Wednesday said flatly. “And unsafe. I am coming to retrieve you. You will stay with me.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Enid whispered. “I appreciate you wanting to play knight in shining...combat boots...but I can’t just—”
“You have blood in your hair,” Wednesday said. “It reminds me of the Hyde incident. You needed my assistance washing it out then, too.”
Enid gave a shaky laugh that sounded like it might break. “Yeah. But you can’t fix this, Wednesday. Not this time. I’m safe with Yoko. I’ll lay low. She already got my scent off me so my mom can’t track me.”
Wednesday’s chest tightened. “I am coming regardless.”
“What if you get hurt because of me?”
Wednesday’s voice softened, impossible and quiet. “I won’t. Lobita, you are not alone in this.”
Enid swallowed, eyes shining. “I just...if anything happened to you, and it was my fault—”
“We will strategize,” Wednesday interrupted gently. “If I were there, I would offer physical reassurance, but since I am not, I will send one of those animated cat images you find emotionally comforting.”
Across the room, Yoko called, “So, you guys are basically dating. Got it. Can I tell Bianca?”
“YOKO.” Enid snarled. “Touch that group chat and I will rip your fangs off!”
Wednesday, still watching, simply blinked. “Lady Fingers, Thing’s girlfriend, will accompany me. We will secure lodging and extract your belongings after.”
Lady Fingers returned, triumphantly holding a printed ticket. Wednesday took it, nodding once. “6 a.m. tomorrow. I will be there.”
Enid exhaled, exhausted. “Okay. Call me when you land? I’d stay on longer but I think I’m about to crash.”
Wednesday crossed her arms. “Tend to that wound. Infection would be an inconvenience.”
The corners of Enid’s mouth lifted. A tiny thing. Fragile. Precious. Her voice trembled on the edge of a whisper, as if it would shatter if she pushed any harder.
“Goodnight, Wednesday.”
And before Wednesday could say anything in return, the call cut, leaving only silence and the sharp echo of everything Enid couldn’t say out loud.
9:59 AM (CA)
I’ve landed, made it through security, and am on my way to Tanaka’s. I am sorry it took me so long to find my way to you. I am sorry I could not ease your suffering. But I am coming to you now, lobita.