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Enid learns a lot from her macabre roommate over the years. Many things are facts about serial killers or corpses or rot and decay. But also something that she never realized could be so invaluable.
Solving a case.
It’s what Wednesday is best at. It’s what Enid has started to excel in. Although she tried in vane to avoid any creepy news stories around their college campus after they left Nevermore, it’s like she still couldn’t escape. Because well, when Wednesday has a plan, Enid likes to know in advance in case she needs to start getting her affairs in order.
Kidding.
She knows Wednesday is always trying to keep her out of harms way.
But that didn’t stop Enid from doing the same for Wednesday.
So Enid spends at least twenty minutes every day scrolling the news, looking for any crime that may appeal to Wednesday enough to solve. Then at least when Wednesday calls to her about helping set up the murder board she’s prepared.
So when she comes home from her evening class, after an eventless scroll this morning and sees Wednesday drawing connections at the familiar board it gives her pause.
“Wends-“ Enid says carefully. “Why do you have your murder board out in our living room?”
“My study was not the right location for my brain to make deductions on this case,” Wednesday replies simply.
“Right…” Enid peers over the goth’s head to see what she’s working on. Her heart stops when she sees the images on the board. “Um- why am I on your murder board? Did you have a premonition about my death-“ she gulps. “Again?”
The beat between Enid’s question and Wednesday’s answer feels like an eternity.
“No,” Wednesday finally says. The werewolf breathes a sigh of relief. “I am currently unaware of any threats on your life.”
“Then why..?”
“I’ve been documenting some unusual behavior from you the past several months. You appear to be experiencing an affliction of some kind.”
Enid’s throat tightens.
“An affliction?” She rasps. Wednesday nods, pointing to a line graph on the chart.
“You often grab my hand to lead me places, I have noticed several instances of tachycardia at various beats per minute during these times. Tell me, do you experience this with physical contact surrounding other acquaintances?”
“Uh…” Enid rubs her neck awkwardly, face turning red. She refuses to meet Wednesday’s eyes as she answers: “No?”
Wednesday nods. “You are also now demonstrating my next point,” she points to another graph and a few photos Enid had taken at get togethers with all their friends which she dragged Wednesday along to. “Facial flushing. I’ve noticed it when you’re showing no other signs of exertion. You’ve also been stuttering over words, avoiding eye contact, and occasionally raising the pitch of your voice more so than usual.”
“Right…” Enid’s face turns even redder. Does she know?
“At first I was concerned we were dealing with a novel virus but after a long, and admittedly embarrassing conversation with Thing, I’ve found a more accurate hypothesis,” Wednesday takes a deep breath as she looks at Enid. The blonde’s breath catches. “You are experiencing romantic feelings for someone. As the evidence suggests, it is a friend of yours, which narrows down the suspect list to just a few possibilities. Tell me this only if you are comfortable Enid, but for this case I must ask, do you experience attraction to women?”
“Uh-“ Enid stumbles over her words. She feels like a dear caught in headlights. Wednesday was right on the cusp of figuring out the secret she’s been trying to bury since their senior year at Nevermore. Living with Esther she’d never allowed herself to explore the idea until she got a crush so intense she couldn’t not acknowledge it. Only a few people knew, though, Yoko and Divinia primarily. Although Bianca had been looped in recently too, and was not surprised at all to find out about her crush.
She also could never bring herself to lie to her best friend either.
“Yeah,” Enid swallows thickly. “I do.”
“That expands the possible subject list then.”
Wednesday’s quiet for a moment, giving Enid room to think. This was absolutely not what she was expecting the beginning of her weekend to look like at all. This confrontation of sorts feels so out of left field and so unusual for Wednesday to-
Wait.
“Why the investigation?” Enid asks. “Besides the fact it’s totally intrusive, you’ve never really cared about my love life before. Except when you were given the opportunity to threaten one of the boys I was going out with if they broke my heart.”
Wednesday takes a long exhale through her nose before answering. Slowly and carefully. “Your happiness has become part of my world’s equilibrium. The sooner I solve this case, the sooner we can devise a plan and you can stop pouting about your lack of romantic endeavors while attending college.”
Enid lets out an indignant noise. She blushes a deep shade of crimson. “I have not been pouting. I chose to swore off dating for a while before we left Nevermore.”
“I see the way you look at other people in romantic relationships,” Wednesday counters. “You are jealous. You have not dated someone in four years.”
“By choice.”
“Regardless if intentional or not it still has had an effect on you.”
Enid sighs deeply. She tries to think of an exit strategy to avoid the rest of this conversation and ultimate rejection entirely. But something gives her pause.
“Your happiness has become a part of my world’s equilibrium.”
A significant sentiment coming from her usually emotionally constipated roommate. And also possibly not…the whole story.
Enid notices the pinkish hue to the tips of Wednesday’s ears and decides to bite the bullet. “Who are the suspects?”
“Well I imagine you are aware of who this person is and could tell me,” Wednesday says coolly. “That would certainly speed things up.”
“Nuh uh uh,” Enid chides, waving a finger at the goth with a smug grin despite how fast her heart is hammering. She wonders if Wednesday could somehow hear it even without Lycanthropic senses. “You’ve always been indifferent or annoyed about these conversations before. Clearly there’s something in this for you so-“ Enid takes a step closer. “You figure it out, detective.” Wednesday glares at her for a solid minute and she just crosses her arms, not backing down. The seer resigns herself to the challenge with a huff.
“We have approximately eight acquaintances who’ve followed us from Nevermore whom you frequently interact with,” Wednesday points at several images on the board. “Ajax, Bianca, Divinia, Yoko, Kent, Eugene, Agnes, and Pugsley.”
“Did you just call your brother an acquaintance-“
Wednesday ignores the question. “Agnes is much too young and immature and I’m aware you still have somewhat of a grudge against her for her trying to kill Bruno and you senior year.”
“I have every right to hold that grudge.”
“Petropolus and you decided at Nevermore you were not romantically compatible,” Wednesday continues, ignoring the comment. She crosses out both Ajax and Agnes’ photos on the board. “Pugsley- as you have told me before, you regard as a younger brother. Not a strong foundation for a romantic connection, and you turned down Eugene’s attempts at flirting while we were still at Nevermore.”
Wednesday looks over to see if she’s right, and Enid nods.
“You also talk incessantly about being Yoko’s maid of honor when Divinia and her eventually get married. This would be considered abnormal behavior by anyone who harbored romantic feelings towards either one of them.”
Enid feels dizzy. Wednesday is so close to the right answer.
“That leaves Kent and Bianca,” Wednesday continues. “While not trying to influence you one way or the other I will say I expected you to have higher standards than a siren I’ve beaten at fencing several times. And Kent.”
Enid snorts. Her stomach doing somersaults and her heart threatening to break free of its rib cage. She’s sure Wednesday is smart enough to solve this case, but she’s not sure she can take the anticipation much longer.
“It’s not Bianca,” Enid says quietly. “Or Kent.”
“And I cannot imagine you would experience romantic attraction to an appendage like Thing,” Wednesday nods. He wasn’t even on the board. But also…neither is Wednesday herself. “That leads me to only one conclusion. Unless there is a classmate not from Nevermore who you’re attracted to. But if that were the case, you would most likely have rambled about them to me on more than one occasion, and have pursued them by now. You would be in a relationship, I’m certain, with this person. My last hypothesized suspect, however, does not quite make logical sense either-“ she takes a deep breath, which shakes almost imperceptibly on the exhale. But Enid still hears it. “Still. It presents the strongest case.”
“Who’s the suspect?” Enid asks. She's pretty sure her heart is going to give out if it beats any faster.
“…Me.”
Wednesday turns away from the board to look at Enid directly and gauge her reaction. The seer is trembling, her hands clasped in fists at her sides. Enid refuses eye contact, her blush growing even darker. It only confirms Wednesday’s suspicions. “The tachycardia, you’ve confirmed, only occurs when we are in close proximity. Your insistence that I attend social events even though I participate very little, shows you want me to be included in your interests as frequently as possible. A potentially platonic action but accompanied by the blush suggests otherwise. And your lack of eye contact now only further builds my case.”
Enid finally forces herself to look into those onyx eyes that do something to her she can’t explain. This time, it’s Wednesday who looks away first.
“There is only one question,” the goth continues on. “Why did you not tell me?” Enid can’t help the self depreciating scoff that escapes her.
“Are you serious? Wednesday you’re flighty enough as it is, if I confessed I had feelings for you, our friendship would be SO awkward. I didn’t want to lose you as my best friend just because you don’t like me that way.”
“Who said I do not reciprocate?”
Enid’s pounding heart screeches to a halt. “…What?” The room is so quiet they can hear Thing scuttling around upstairs on the carpet. She steps even closer to Wednesday, now just a haresbreath away from her. And wraps her arms around her waist. She realizes her own pulse wasn’t the only one she heard thrumming so fast.
“You mean it?” Enid could cry. For five years she tried to get over it. She never thought this could be the outcome. “You like me?”
“You are my best friend. Of course I do.”
“Wends-“ Enid smirks. “You know that’s not what I mean.”
Wednesday takes a deep breath, acquiescing with a nod. “Yes,” she says, her eyes drifting down to Enid’s lips, who catches the action with a smile. “I am… infatuated with you, Enid. I’ve never felt this way before, nor have I ever wanted to but with you…” The seer flits her eyes back to Enid’s. “Everything is different.”
“I have a new idea for an investigation,” Enid responds with a lilt, though she cannot hide the breathlessness in her voice. “Now that you have figured this one out.”
“I’m listening.”
“How would you respond if I kissed you? Right now?”
Wednesday wets her lips, swallowing thickly. “I guess there is only one way to find out.”
End closes the space between them and presses her lips to her best friend’s. The first kiss is quick, short and sweet. But when Wednesday brings her hands up to cup Enid’s face, she takes it as cue that the goth wants more just as much as she does. So they kiss deeper, Enid’s fingers tightening at Wednesday’s waist. Her heart soars. Their lips move together in a quickly found rhythm. And then Wednesday’s tongue is prodding at her mouth and she circles it with her own. Wednesday shudders, and Enid pulls her closer until they’re chest to chest. When they finally break apart for air, she doesn’t expect it when Wednesday throws her arms around her, and buries her face in her neck. Enid’s wolf howls within her, as she holds the seer in her arms.
“Wends?” Enid asks, after they’ve both caught their breath. “Are you alright? Was that…okay?”
Wednesday pulls far enough back just to speak. “More than okay, Enid. I know I am usually very touch averse but as I have said, with you, everything is different.”
The werewolf’s heart melts, smiling into Wednesday’s hair as the goth buries herself in her neck again.
“My investigation is complete then,” Enid giggles. “How about we clean this up and watch some tv together? Cuddles will totally be involved if you’re comfortable of course.”
“I will endure,” Wednesday pulls away with that slight smile that tugs at her lip, showing off just one dimple. “But first we must analyze any new police reports that have come through today.”
“Of course,” Enid chuckles. “Done with one investigation and on to the next. You know that board grosses me out slightly less now.”
“I can try to find something with particularly gruesome photos to investigate next if you want.”
“No,” Enid shakes her head, pressing another kiss to Wednesday’s nose and tugging her closer yet again. “I have everything I want right here.”