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Romance was not something Wednesday Addams cared much for, nor was it something she particularly cared to waste time to try and understand. Sweet nothings and gentle moments were never something she craved. Her parents were the epitome of soulmates; unquestionable devotion towards each other with a degree of passion none could rival. Their love was like a burning flame; wild and so very much alive. Yet their eldest child’s heart was full of ice.
That wasn’t to say she was incapable of love. No, Wednesday most certainly loved her family. If nothing else, the amount of creativity she’d put into her attempts at killing Pugsley (a habit she had tragically had to cease when she was sent to Nevermore) was clear proof of that. They were worthy of her effort and her attention. She would live for them, she would kill for them. Other than the macabre novel she was determined to one day unleash on the world, nothing else truly mattered to Wednesday.
That was, of course, until she found herself with the displeasure of sharing a dorm with Enid Sinclair.
There had never been a time in Wednesday’s life where she had particularly felt an urge to make friends. Most people were too scared of her to even try to talk to her! But in these brief moments she would allow herself to indulge in thoughts of companionship, they were never full of blonde hair and colours so bright they threatened to give her hives. She never expected anyone bright or upbeat.
Enid Sinclair was her ideal of hell personified and not in a good way.
The girl was bubbly and headstrong and got under her skin and yet… and yet. And yet she still tried to befriend Wednesday. And yet she was smarter than just a bubbly airhead. And yet she was more loyal to her than anyone. And yet the werewolf was tragically making herself interesting.
That didn’t mean Wednesday actually liked her roommate! Quite the opposite actually! It just meant she was worth watching with morbid curiosity. Enid wore her heart on her sleeve and Wednesday couldn’t help but pity her for it. One day it would hurt like nothing else when someone tore it away. And if Enid lost her spark… Well then, she could hardly still be considered interesting and she couldn’t allow that.
Under some circumstances, whispers were valued secrets shared scarcely and carefully. Under the circumstances of high school students? They were all but the screams of teenagers struggling against the concept of keeping their thoughts inside their heads. Murmurs that were interesting enough in isolation - much in the same vein that watching an animal at a zoo was interesting. A fleeting fascination that soon drifted away. Unfortunately, this particular fascination had quickly turned sour as familiar names tainted the flying rumours.
What the mass of nameless faces thought about Wednesday Addams was hardly a concern to her. She wasn’t at Nevermore to make friends with the piranhas biting at the heels of anything Other. If anything, she found them tiresome. Unfortunately, Enid didn’t share her same eagerness to dismiss teenage bitterness. Instead, she observed the ways her roommate seemed to shrink into herself. Comments about how she struggled to shift; about her being too bubbly; about the way she embraced colour being too childish. And whilst Wednesday had her own issues with colours, those came more from a genetic disposition than that of opposing someone expressing herself.
It was a slow and gruesome process but the bright flame of Enid Sinclair was starting to flicker out. Any true expression was dying out. Bright clothes that stood out amongst the crowd were beginning to give way to ones that kept her in the background. Her smile was never as wide anymore. But most notably, she hadn’t been keeping up with the dye in her hair. Wednesday couldn’t quite work out why watching the colours fade with time irked her so much.
There were moments she tried to fool herself into thinking that it was merely disappointment that her roommate was becoming boring but not even Thing was convinced at such an analysis. No, this went deeper. More subconscious than Wednesday was willing to fully admit, and certainly not a feeling she was able to find a name for. How bothersome.
Though a name did eventually slither its way into her mind like the serpent in Eden. It had been a monotonous day; her lessons had been the only thing of any interest and even then, that interest had been forced. All she craved was to lock herself away with naught but her own thoughts and her typewriter, but fate wasn’t feeling that kind.
Wednesday hardly cared for teenage vulgarity so passing by a group of boys joking and debating about who they deemed as most ‘worthy’ of their attention did nothing but cause her to sneer. That was, of course, until they were foolish enough to choose their target poorly.
“-I’m telling you, man. It’s always the self-conscious ones that put out the best!” One of them - hardly identifiable from the rest - smirked. “So damn eager to please. Like look at that Sinclair girl. Bet she’d put out easily. Just the right words and she’d be on her kn-”
Whatever words the fool had wanted to continue to waste were cut off by a hand around his throat whilst his back was shoved against the wall. Wednesday Addams stared down at him with murder in her eyes. His friends did the first smart thing of their lives and scattered in lieu of trying to intervene. “If you so much as say her name again, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever say.” It wasn’t a threat. Each word she spoke was a promise laced with venom. “The only attention ants like you deserve is a magnifying glass angled to burn down on you until there’s nothing left. Speak of any girl like that again and I’ll give you a demonstration. Speak of her again and I’ll make sure it’s life size.” Wednesday snarled.
Her hand pulled back, dropping the boy to the ground as if he were nothing. Though, he was still quick to scramble to his feet in an attempt to run away from her. “You’re…You’re insane!” Yet no matter how ‘angrily’ he spat the words, she could still see the fear in his eyes. It filled her with a deep satisfaction as she watched him disappear from sight. Good. No one was allowed to harm what was hers.
Hers.
Well, wasn’t that an interesting thought? She couldn’t pinpoint the moment Enid had gone from her irritating-turned-interesting roommate to someone Wednesday was eager to keep close. But then again, when it came to affairs of the heart? No Addams ever did anything by halves. One would only have to look at her father to know he would burn down the world for her mother. If she asked, he would always provide. It had always been strange to her but now Wednesday thought she could start to understand.
She would threaten for Enid. She would cut out someone’s tongue simply because they had dared to speak ill of her. She’d force herself to smile if that were enough to make the other girl happy.
“I would die for her. I would kill for her. Either way - what bliss.”
Words her father had proclaimed so easily about her mother now offered pure clarity to Wednesday.
Of course, she had no intentions of storming into her room and proclaiming to her roommate that she now understood why Menelaus would rally up all of Greece to obliterate the city that had dared steal away his heart. No, she was hardly foolish enough to scare her away with such a bold statement. Enid would need a gentler approach. She’d wait until the second date before she started comparing her to Leda’s daughter.
Yet all thoughts of delicacy drifted from her mind when she opened the door to her dorm room only to be met with the sounds of sobbing. Enid sobbing. Her bag was quickly abandoned by the door as she quickly strode over to where her - roommatefriendsoulmate - was partially curled up on her bed, phone open and dropped down beside her.
The other girl was quick to try (and fail) to wipe away her tears when she realised she was not alone. “Oh! Wednesday! I didn’t think you’d be home yet!” A smile tried to force its way onto her face and Wednesday's stomach twisted at simply how wrong it looked.”Sorry, you know how I get sometimes.” It felt even more wrong to see her try to brush it off.
“Nevermore is full of fools.” Wednesday stated simply, forcing herself to sit down upon the bed whilst carefully refraining from touching the brightly coloured blankets. “Fools who do not appreciate when something of actual value is placed before them.” The words were stated with a simple monotone; plain facts that Wednesday would not have refuted. She didn’t even bother glancing at Enid’s phone, already suspecting the messages within it to echo the whispers that littered the halls. “The only thing worth crying about is weeping at their sheer stupidity.”
That, at least, was enough to get something akin to a laugh from the werewolf. Good. “I wish I could just shrug everything off like you do.” She nudged her gently and the simple touch was enough to send electricity through every single one of Wednesday’s nerves. It was intoxicating. “But some of us do in fact have feelings, and it’s not easy when those feelings get hurt!”
She simply raised an eyebrow. “Contrary to what some may believe, I am capable of feeling genuine human emotion. Even sincere care on the rarest of occasions.” Her eyes met Enid’s and she could not bring herself to look away. “They are insecure teenagers who do not value a kind heart. They do not value someone capable of putting Helen of Troy to shame. They do not value you when you are priceless.”
Her words were enough to leave Enid speechless and even Wednesday herself felt a little lost. Those words had not meant to come out and yet… Seeing the owner of heart so despondent, how could she offer anything else but the praise she deserved?
“Woah,” was the first word Enid chose to settle on. “That’s… so much more than I expected from you! I mean, Helen! Really? Sure, I can clean up nice but I’ve heard what people say about me! I appreciate a good compliment but you don’t need to exag-”
For the second time that day, Wednesday Addams cut someone off mid sentence. But this time, no hands were wrapped around throats. No, instead her lips were pressed firmly against Enid Sinclair’s and it was as if everything in the world made sense. Perfection. And if the way the other girl’s lips moved in sync with her own was any indication, her feelings did not go unrequited. After what felt like an eternity and yet still far too soon, Enid pulled away and instead chose to rest their foreheads against each other. “...I think I’ve wanted to do that since I met you.” Wednesday’s eyes must have widened at that as her roommate kept speaking. “There’s just something about you. You’re one of a kind in every way. And after everything with the Hyde, I don’t think I’ve met anyone stronger and… and god, I really want to kiss you again?”
That brought something almost resembling a smile to Wednesday’s face. “I should warn you then that Addams do nothing by halves.” She steadied herself. “If I am too… intense then I understand. When we love, we offer our heart and devotion on a platter. We treat our other halves like deities in need of worship. Anyone who would dare upset you becomes my enemy. Without you, I would be nothing.”
For the first time in her life, Wednesday dared to wear her heart on her sleeve. Enid took a moment to respond then another then another. Dread began to fill her. Had she foolishly ruined something before it had the chance to begin? “Like a soulmate.” She finally breathed out.
Wednesday let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding as she let her almost-smile spread. “I suppose like a soulmate.” Lips pressed to hers once more were answer enough to a dozen questions she had yet to even ask. What true bliss.
When they did pull away, Enid offered her partner a curious look. “I do have one important question, though.” Wednesday gestured for her to continue. “If I’m Helen then what does that make you?”
“The one who would wage war to bring you back into my arms.”